Mental Health
Pornographic media use and mental health problems in a large nationally representative sample of chinese adolescents: The moderating effect of sexual knowledge and its sources.
Open Access: No.
Abstract
Introduction. Pornographic media use is common in adolescents. The goal of this study is to examine the association between pornographic media use and mental health problems among adolescents in China and investigate the moderating effects of sexual knowledge and different sexual knowledge sources on the relationship between pornographic media use and mental health problems.
Methods. For this study, we used the Science Database of People Mental Health (2017–2022) and ultimately chose 11,291 adolescents aged 13–18 as samples (57.5% female and 42.5% male).
Results. The results showed that (1) more pornographic media use was associated with poorer mental health in adolescents; (2) sexual knowledge buffers the relationship between pornographic media use and mental health (M − 1 SD, β = .143, t = 7.76, p < .001; M + 1 SD, β = .074, t = 6.31, p < .001); (3) reliable sources of sexual knowledge exacerbate the relationship between pornographic media use and mental health (M − 1 SD, β = .082, t = 5.68, p < .001; M + 1 SD, β = 0.135, t = 8.08, p < .001).
Conclusions. The results further highlight the complications of sex education in the field of negative effects of pornographic media use and provide implications for those in the sex education industry.
Policy Implications. Sex education should encompass not only reproductive health knowledge but also equip students with the skills to critically analyze sexual content from pornography, thereby mitigating its harmful effects.
Relevance
This study found that there is a “significant” association between the use of pornography and “mental health problems”among adolescents, specifically, “the more pornographic media use, the worse adolescents’ mental health.”
Citation
Xu, J., & Zheng, L. (2025). Pornographic media use and mental health problems in a large nationally representative sample of chinese adolescents: The moderating effect of sexual knowledge and its sources. Sexuality Research & Social Policy, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-025-01112-9
