Eight out of ten 18 year olds think it is too easy for young people to see pornography
online so we decided to take a deeper look into the issue.
The typical age to start watching porn is 13. I don’t know about you but in my day
I didn’t have access to fibre power broadband. I had dial up and it would cut off if anyone
rang the house phone, never mind having an iPhone and watch porn from the comfort of
my own bed at the age of 11. Or whatever age the youngans get phones these days.
As we all know years ago, users would have to buy a dirty magazine or video tape from
a store with ID. Nowadays, there’s unrestricted access to pornographic videos and images with
a quick online search within seconds. Porn comes in many forms. Escort services, sex
clubs, magazines, phone sex, pay per view, internet and DVDs. It seems unavoidable with
easy access on mobiles and online with no filter in place to stop it.
This new smart phone technology may have damaging effects though. A recent survey showed 46% of under
18s said they send sexual or naked photos or videos as part of their everyday life.
In many years to come, they may regret this decision when they are looking for a job.
For the first time last year, social media overtook porn as the number one activity on
the internet. Along with Facebook, Twitter and Google+, apps like Snapchat are where
users can send a quick pic of them in the nude and think it will be erased forever but
the person receiving the photo can take a screen shot.
This can lead to a new phenomenon called revenge porn. This type of porn is where sexually
explicit content is uploaded online by a former or even current partner of yours without the
consent of the individual. Israel, Britain, Germany and now 12 states in the US have introduced
laws against revenge porn in the last year that can lead to prosecution, fines and even
jail under obscenity and harassment laws.
Porn can be an educational tool as the Institute of Public Policy Research said teenagers watching
porn was common and the internet was a higher source of information than parents. I know
my parents didn’t have the birds and the bees chat with me. I learnt from hearsay and
other kids experiences in school.
Pro porn users argue that it is doing no harm and teaching young people while Paula Hall,
a leading psychotherapist who specialises in sex addiction says they are obsessed with
sex with no real experience. Hall said there’s an increasing number of virgins in their 20s
because all of their sexual experiences occur online, never benefiting from a physical relationship,
not knowing how to have real sex, thus avoiding it. She argues readily available porn creates
problems as lads can’t get it up when faced with the real thing.
Here are some facts about porn. The breakdown of visitors to porn sites is 72% male and
28% female. 20% of men have admitted to looking at porn at work, compared to 13% of women.
30,000 people click on to view porn online every second, with 90% of men and 30% of women
watching films online monthly. 70% of women keep their cyber activities a secret and surprisingly
women are far more likely have multiple partners, casual sex, or affairs than men.
So what we want to know, is porn damaging? Experts say porn is highly addictive, with some researchers and therapists
even likening it to crack cocaine. As it’s a recent trend in the last twenty years, there
is no research on long term effects on users and their habit.
Watching too much porn can in the long run lead to depression, anxiety, difficulty relating
to others and having a secret life. Six in ten say its pervasiveness made growing up
more difficult. 77% of young women say that "pornography has led to pressure on girls
or young women to look and act a certain way.” The younger generation think they are ready
for sex physically but mentally they are not.
Emma Citron, a consultant clinical psychologist, says that even those who don’t intend to
seek out pornography can end up watching the images alone in secret.
She said, “I’ve seen children as young as nine in my clinic who have accidentally fallen across
pornographic videos and have not told their parents. It’s pushed their mood down
and caused them to become quite depressed.”
Porn can be hardcore and unrealistic and sex can be a letdown when it comes to the norm.
Without limits, it has the ability to shape the future of teenagers sex lives and expectations.
Of the top 50 best selling porn movies of all time, 90% included physical violence of
some sort, most of which was towards women which consciously or subconsciously promotes
violence against women increasing the chance of men and women thinking this type of behaviour
is normal and acceptable.
A quick search for porn online can tell you what top term every nation is searching for.
Americans likes MILFS, Australians like gay men and oddly enough Syrians like their auntie.
Sexual desire has been known to the red blooded man since the creation of time. Here’s
a clip of Marilyn Monroe shaking her bits about back in the 1940s.
And before you think its men that are the overindulgent ones when it comes to porn,
you’re wrong. Women are just as hooked according to a study from Germany that claims women
are hypersexual making them spend excessive time engaged in sexual fantasies and experiences.
17% of women say they are addicted to online porn. Similar patterns to men included pornography
dependence, excessive masturbation and promiscuity.
The profit in the American porn industry last year was $13.3billion while the global market
is around $97billion annually. If the industry was a country it would be ranked 36th worldwide
in terms of GDP.
Porn revenue is larger than the combined revenue of ABC, CBS and NBC in America who in 2013
made a combined total of just $43.6 billion.
50 shades of grey made fetishes see a rise in the sale of ropes, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj
and Beyonce are known for their sexualised music videos and young people are going for
sex holidays to Spanish islands, it seems sex symbols are everywhere but have been for
centuries, just look at Roman statues.
66% of young women and 49% of young men agreed that it would be easier growing up if pornography
was less easy to access for younger people. It’s how the internet and society can make
porn not as readily accessible that’s important. Or maybe you’re of the opinion that there’s
no harm in it. Either way let us know your thoughts below.
Make love, not porn.