Child and Youth Development
Pornography and Its Impact on Adolescent/Teenage Sexuality
Open Access: Yes
Abstract
Adolescents/Teenagers are exposed to pornography due to a variety of factors and it is accepted as a process of sexual exploration/normal development of sexuality. However, early exposure to pornography and unregulated/excess exposure to pornography during the formative years of adolescence has been seen to have various long-term deleterious effects on sexual maturation, sexual behavior, Internet addiction, and overall personality development. To safeguard the growing minds of the teens from the harmful effects of pornography, few rules/regulations have been passed in India as well as banning of porn sites. However, there are very limited research on the impact of pornography on various aspects of adolescents’ growth and development. This mini-review covers the issues pertinent to the effect of pornography with regard to adolescent sexuality.
Relevance
This mini-review summarizes the “effects of pornography usage on adolescent sexuality and its implications, with special reference to India.”
Summarized topics include:
Pornography and Puberty – “exposure to pornography accelerates sexual development.”
Pornography and Internet Use – “Risky sexual activity is strongly correlated with 1 specific factor: sexual content or sexually explicit media. Adolescents who are exposed to sexually explicit media via Internet are more prone to develop promiscuous sexual attitudes, which are strongly linked to dangerous sexual actions later in life.”
Pornography and Its Impact on Sexual Maturity – “Adolescent pornography use is generally recognized as being significantly linked to early partnered sexual behavior, more sexual partners, lower relationship satisfaction, and lower sexual satisfaction during adolescence.”
Pornography and Its Impact on Sexual Activities and Overall Behavior – “Exposure at a younger age makes individuals receptive to watching coercive or violent porn. Watching more hardcore pornography containing abuse, rape, and child sex is associated with the normalizing of this behaviors.”
Citation
Adarsh H., & Sahoo S. (2023). Pornography and Its Impact on Adolescent/Teenage Sexuality. Journal of Psychosexual Health 5(1):35-39. doi:10.1177/26318318231153984
