Many people contact Fight the New Drug to share their personal stories about how porn has affected their life or the life of a loved one. We consider these personal accounts very valuable because, while the science and research is powerful within its own right, personal accounts from real people seem to really hit home about the damage that pornography does to real lives. Meet Bethany. She considers herself a quiet person, but she isn't afraid to take a bold stand for love. See what we mean by reading her story below.
Hey FTND!
Just wanted to share a little something! I have the red “Porn Kills Love” t-shirt and I wear it all the time! I love it!
A couple of weeks ago, I wore it to the middle school I work for, and I got some freaked-out looks by some of the kids. They asked, “WHAT are you wearing?!” They were stuck on that one word at the top: “Porn.”
I usually don’t wear it to work because I know that it isn’t always fully appropriate or professional to discuss that with students without their parent’s permission… However, I was able to get them to read the whole shirt and got some great questions that I told them to go home and discuss with their parents. I also said to look up Fight the New Drug!
I wore it again yesterday while I was out running errands with my littles. Usually, I get all kind of weird looks from people and no questions. I am a very shy person, so I just smile and go on hoping that my shirt sparks some research. Yesterday, two different people stopped me to compliment my shirt and we had a great open conversation on how important it is for people to understand the harms and the serious addiction that porn can cause.
Get this—I even ended up meeting a lady who owns the same shirt in the same store! It was great!
-Bethany
Why This Matters
Bethany is one of the millions of Fighters who are raising awareness on the harms of porn. If you rep the movement, regardless if anyone actually asks you about it, chances are you ignited some curiosity and got someone thinking. That’s what this cause is all about! We’re all about changing the conversation, raising some eyebrows, and shaking things up.
We believe fighting for love is absolutely worth it. You with us?
If you ever want to prepare for the questions you’ll get while repping any of our Fighter gear, we’ve got your back—click here to read a blog with all the most common FAQ’s you’ll get.
Not sure how to talk about porn in general as a parent, kid, friend, partner, or to strangers? We’ve created a comprehensive conversation guide that can walk you through, step by step. Click here or below to explore “Let’s Talk About Porn.”
Your Support Matters Now More Than Ever
Most kids today are exposed to porn by the age of 12. By the time they’re teenagers, 75% of boys and 70% of girls have already viewed itRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy —often before they’ve had a single healthy conversation about it.
Even more concerning: over half of boys and nearly 40% of girls believe porn is a realistic depiction of sexMartellozzo, E., Monaghan, A., Adler, J. R., Davidson, J., Leyva, R., & Horvath, M. A. H. (2016). “I wasn’t sure it was normal to watch it”: A quantitative and qualitative examination of the impact of online pornography on the values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of children and young people. Middlesex University, NSPCC, & Office of the Children’s Commissioner.Copy . And among teens who have seen porn, more than 79% of teens use it to learn how to have sexRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy . That means millions of young people are getting sex ed from violent, degrading content, which becomes their baseline understanding of intimacy. Out of the most popular porn, 33%-88% of videos contain physical aggression and nonconsensual violence-related themesFritz, N., Malic, V., Paul, B., & Zhou, Y. (2020). A descriptive analysis of the types, targets, and relative frequency of aggression in mainstream pornography. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(8), 3041-3053. doi:10.1007/s10508-020-01773-0Copy Bridges et al., 2010, “Aggression and Sexual Behavior in Best-Selling Pornography Videos: A Content Analysis,” Violence Against Women.Copy .
From increasing rates of loneliness, depression, and self-doubt, to distorted views of sex, reduced relationship satisfaction, and riskier sexual behavior among teens, porn is impacting individuals, relationships, and society worldwideFight the New Drug. (2024, May). Get the Facts (Series of web articles). Fight the New Drug.Copy .
This is why Fight the New Drug exists—but we can’t do it without you.
Your donation directly fuels the creation of new educational resources, including our awareness-raising videos, podcasts, research-driven articles, engaging school presentations, and digital tools that reach youth where they are: online and in school. It equips individuals, parents, educators, and youth with trustworthy resources to start the conversation.
Will you join us? We’re grateful for whatever you can give—but a recurring donation makes the biggest difference. Every dollar directly supports our vital work, and every individual we reach decreases sexual exploitation. Let’s fight for real love: