April 2026: What We’re Learning from Young Advocates
Culture Reframed is the premier science-based, global organization working to stop the emotional, behavioral, and sexual harms of pornography to children and youth. Join our online community to receive updates on our work, announcements of upcoming events, and the latest news related to pornography and youth.
Young people must be part of building solutions for their peers and for future generations in organizing against the porn industry. Through our growing collaborations, the courage and insight of young advocates are expanding our understanding of the pornography crisis, and helping shape how we raise awareness and shift the culture. In this newsletter, we invite you to hear directly from these emerging leaders:
- Our latest webinar offered an unfiltered look at young women’s experiences growing up in a pornified culture
- An update from our inaugural Youth Advisory Council details what they have accomplished to date and future initiatives.
You’ll also find our newest resource, The Neuroscience of Pornography, a fact sheet on the impacts of pornography on developing brains.
Please share these resources with those in your community as we work together to disrupt the status quo, and build a healthier culture for young people.
— Dr. Gail Dines
Founder and CEO, Culture Reframed
What Young Women Are Saying About Growing Up in a Pornified Culture
“If you don’t know what sexual violence looks like, you won’t be able to help your friends.” – Ashley Staggers, Co-Facilitator, Culture Reframed Youth Advisory Council
What does it actually feel like to grow up in a culture that normalizes pornography and sexual violence?
This was the question at the center of our recent webinar, “Let’s Talk Porn: Young Women Speak Out Against Porn Culture,” featuring Ashley Staggers and Katie Ramsay — two young activists who are shifting the conversation about pornography.
Read highlights and watch the recording for an unfiltered look at what it means to come of age in a pornified culture and why listening to young people is essential to understanding both the problem and the path forward.
New Resource: The Neuroscience of Pornography
Adolescence is one of the most critical periods of brain development. Because the teenage brain is still forming the neural pathways that shape behavior, learning, and emotional regulation, exposure to highly stimulating content like pornography can have a powerful impact on how the brain develops, and how young people understand relationships, sexuality, and themselves.
Explore cutting-edge research and tips in our new fact sheet, “The Neuroscience of Pornography: Understanding How Pornography Affects Developing Brains.”
Update from the Youth Advisory Council
Launched in 2025, Culture Reframed’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) centers the voices of youth to understand the lived experience of growing up in a porn culture. The group, with members ages 16 to 24, meets regularly to share experiences, inform educational strategies, and promote peer-to-peer learning. As Culture Reframed expands its educational initiatives for young audiences, the YAC’s input is invaluable.
Read an update directly from the inaugural YAC on what they’ve accomplished thus far and their plans for the year ahead.
Our Partners Advancing Youth Well-Being
Our team regularly works with like-minded educators, legal advocates, service providers, parents, caregivers, and community leaders who share our commitment to strengthening youth well-being. We deeply respect their leadership and impact and are pleased to introduce our community to their critical work. Explore conversations with their leaders and their resources on our new webpage.
Hear From Gail
In a recent interview for The Guardian, Dr. Gail Dines reframes the conversation on OnlyFans — not as a mere social media platform, but as a platform that is driving major shifts in the porn industry, where consumers become producers. Together with AI-produced pornography, more young people, especially boys, are making porn images and videos of their female peers, causing a greater level of anxiety, depression, and shame for girls.
With the recent passing of Leonid Radvinsky, the billionaire and majority owner of OnlyFans, questions remain about the business’s future. Gail commented: “People cast him as a legitimate businessman, but he was the world’s richest pimp.”
Upcoming Events
Take a look at where you’ll find our team in the coming months:
Bristol Children’s Advocacy Center Training
April 28–30 | Fall River, MA
Drs. Gail Dines and Mandy Sanchez are honored to be Featured Speakers at this CAC training workshop.
Massachusetts Children’s Alliance 16th Annual Statewide Conference
May 7 | Framingham, MA
Dr. Mandy Sanchez will join more than 300 multidisciplinary professionals to explore best practices for responding to child physical and sexual abuse. This year’s theme is “Healing, Hope & Justice: An Advanced Conversation.”
Istanbul Family Foundation International Family Symposium
May 8 | Istanbul, Turkey, and Virtual
This event will convene leading scholars and experts on the theme “Family and Population in the Defense of the Homeland.” Dr. Gail Dines will present “The Digital Age and the Family.”
6th Annual 31:8 Project Human Trafficking Summit
May 19–20 | Bismarck, ND
The Summit creates space for cross-sector collaboration in response to the human trafficking crisis, so communities can build stronger networks, improve public safety, and implement locally relevant solutions that protect vulnerable people and support survivors in their recovery. Attendees will leave with up-to-date information on emerging trends, concrete prevention strategies, and survivor-focused resources.
World Without Exploitation (WWE) Conference
June 7–9 | Washington, DC
As exploitation evolves with technology, so must our collective response — centering accountability, prevention, and survivor-informed solutions. The WWE conference will examine cutting-edge legal, policy, and advocacy strategies to end commercial sexual exploitation across the physical and digital spaces.
Drs. Gail Dines and Mandy Sanchez will present the opening keynote, “Pornography and Trafficking: Fighting the Ecosystem of Sexual Exploitation.”
What Others Are Saying
Meta Ordered to Pay $375m After Being Found Liable in Child Exploitation Case (The Guardian)
New Mexico hails ‘historic’ win after jury finds firm misled consumers over safety and enabled harm against users. Read more.
Online AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material Increased in 2025 (CARE)
A new report from the Internet Watch Foundation shows that AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) reached a record high last year, with over 8,000 cases identified. The majority was category A, the most severe material under UK law. Read more.
The Seedy World of Porn Stars Moonlighting as Teen Influencers (The Telegraph)
As OnlyFans ‘models’ target young female audiences on TikTok, critics fear that adult content creation is being seen as aspirational success. Read more.
Discord to Start Requiring Face Scan or ID to Access Adult Content (BBC News)
Its new safety measures are designed to protect people by placing everyone into a teen-appropriate experience “by default.” Read more.
YouTube Opens Up AI Deepfake Detection Tool to All of Hollywood (The Hollywood Reporter)
With the new tool, actors, athletes, creators, and musicians, whether they have a YouTube channel or not, can sign up to identify and request the removal of deepfakes on the platform. Read more.
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