Legal Considerations

Recently, there was an outbreak of a new disease called Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, which spread rapidly to other regions in China and around the world. This pandemic is impacting the entire population, including adolescents, in physical, intellectual, emotional, and sexual activities.

We are aware that during the pandemic, when emotions are intense, and adolescents are more socially isolated than ever, online pornography can increase.

Online pornography is a relatively recent phenomenon and, therefore, studies on this subject are limited. It is known that the effects of the pornography in society imply deep problems concerning emotional aspects and relationships of this generation. The sexual content currently available ranges from partial nudity to violent sexual activities or images of abuse.

Online pornography differs from past pornography because online content is active and portable, allowing quick and easy access from a variety of electronic devices. Participation in it is private and anonymous, which allows adolescents to seek materials that would not be available in traditional media such as television. In addition, it is difficult for parents to monitor online media, such as smartphones.

With the pandemic and schools closed for weeks or more, adolescents are no longer under the watchful eyes of their teachers, community, and family due to a forced change of priorities. In this scenario, exposure to the sexual content freely available on the internet and in videogames contributes to the early development of beliefs and sexual attitudes in adolescents.