Decades of studies from respected academic institutions, have demonstrated significant impacts of porn consumption for individuals, relationships, and society. "What’s the Research" aims to shed light on the expanding field of academic resources that showcase porn’s harms in a variety of ways. Below are selected excerpts from published studies on this issue.
The full study can be accessed here.
Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis For Professionals Investigating the Sexual Exploitation of Children
Authors: Kenneth V. Lanning
Published: 2010
Background
The sexual victimization of children involves varied and diverse dynamics. It can range from one-on-one intra-familial abuse to multi-offender/multi-victim extra-familial sex rings and from non-family abduction of toddlers to prostitution of teenagers…
This discussion will focus primarily on the behavioral aspects of the sexual exploitation of children perpetrated by adult offenders who have an acquaintance relationship (i.e., not strangers or family members) with their child victims.
Some of the information, however, could have an application to acquaintance juvenile offenders and other types of child-molestation cases.
Results
Any adult who shows sexually explicit material or tells “dirty jokes” to children of any age should be viewed with suspicion. This is generally part of the seduction process in order to lower inhibitions.
A pedophile might also encourage or allow children to call a dial-a-porn service or use the Internet to access sexually explicit material. He might send them such material via a computer as part of this process… The lowering of sexual inhibitions is usually done so gradually and skillfully the victim does not realize he or she is a victim until it is too late…
The introduction of photography or video cameras during this process is common. Pictures of innocent situations progress to pictures of the “fun and games” or playing movie star/model that then progress to pictures of the nude or partially nude child that then escalate into more sexually explicit pictures. Adult pornography is frequently left out for the children to “discover.” A collection of adult pornography is effective in sexually arousing and lowering the inhibitions of adolescent[s]…
By the time the victims realize what is going on, they are in the middle of it and ashamed of their complicity. They did not “say no, yell, and tell.” Much of this process can even take place online with a computer without even meeting in person…
A child who is reluctant to engage in sexual activity with an adult or pose for sexually explicit photographs can sometimes be convinced by viewing other children having ‘fun’ participating in the activity. Peer pressure can have a tremendous effect on children. If other children are involved, the child might be led to believe the activity is acceptable…
Adult pornography is also used, particularly with adolescent boy victims, to arouse them or lower inhibitions.
The full study can be accessed here.
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 .
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