Sexuality Education & Therapy with Children
Problematic Pornography Use in Adolescents: From Prevention to Intervention.
Open Access: No.
Abstract
Purpose of the Review. Pornography use is common among adolescents. Adolescents may use pornography for sex education. Early exposure to pornography may have negative consequences and elevate risk of problematic pornography use (PPU). Thus, there is a need for better understanding of and effective interventions for youth viewing of pornography. This article reviews studies investigating prevention and treatment of PPU in adolescents, discussing current issues and future directions.
Recent Findings. Prevention studies include pornography education based on media-literacy approaches. These programs are aimed at helping young people develop critical thinking and understanding of the nature of pornography. Some recommendations for pornography-education programs have emerged from the prevention literature such as the relevance of using age-appropriate content and participatory teaching and learning methods that involve appropriately trained staff. Treatment studies of PPU in adolescents are lacking, although the preliminary efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness based approaches has been shown in adults with PPU. Online therapeutic approaches may have benefits with adolescents.
Summary. The current state of evidence indicates only a limited number of prevention studies addressing pornography education and an absence of studies evaluating PPU treatments in adolescents. There is a call for future evidence-based research to tailor PPU interventions for adolescents and to evaluate their effectiveness.
Relevance
This narrative review of the few studies of pornography education programs shows that (i) “learning about pornography at school may be related to less sexist attitudes over time,” (ii) “providing a specific pornography-literacy curriculum may help increase knowledge and promote changes in attitudes and behavioral intentions related to pornography”, and (iii) “delivering a short training on pornography education to school staff has been shown to improve teachers’ knowledge and confidence in addressing pornography-related problems.”
The review also stated that “prevention research to reduce potential negative consequences of pornography use in adolescents is in early stages. Likewise, adolescent-oriented treatment studies are needed to provide empirical support for interventions designed to help adolescents with PPU.”
Citation
Testa, G., Mestre-Bach, G., Chiclana Actis, C., Potenza, M. N. (2023). Problematic Pornography Use in Adolescents: From Prevention to Intervention. Current Addiction Reports, 10, 210–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-023-00469-4
