May 2026: What Porn Is Teaching Boys About Manhood
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.
Mainstream pornography today is profoundly shaping broader cultural ideas about masculinity, femininity, consent, and identity. One of the most urgent conversations we can and must have is about how these messages are influencing the ‘sexual scripts’ and behaviors of boys and young men during critical stages of their emotional, social, and cognitive development — and the harmful consequences this is having on women and girls.
I hope you’ll join us for our June 18 webinar, Raising Boys in the Age of Porn Culture, for an honest conversation with two experts in gender-based violence prevention. Together, we’ll explore how parents, educators, and communities can help boys develop healthy, respectful understandings of themselves and others — free from the influence of the porn industry.
I also invite you to tune in to our first-ever episode of The P-Word Podcast, “Unpacking a Massive Social Experiment.” Gail and Mandy examine how algorithm-driven content is shaping young people’s development with little foresight or accountability.
Young people are navigating these difficult realities every day. Advocates like you who are willing to show up for the conversation make all the difference.
— Dr. Eric Silverman
Research Associate, Culture Reframed
Free Webinar: Raising Boys in the Age of Porn Culture
How does pornography shape how boys learn to be men?
For more than 30 years, Dr. Jackson Katz and Byron Hurt have worked in gender violence prevention by examining and critiquing the cultural forces shaping boys, men, and violence. They will join Culture Reframed’s Dr. Gail Dines and Dr. Mandy Sanchez for a special webinar on June 18, 2026, from 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. ET, to explore the links between hypersexualized media, pornography, misogyny, and male violence against women and children.
Participants will walk away with:
- A deeper understanding of the ways pornography shapes masculinity and femininity
- Tips for parents, caregivers, and professionals who work with young people on how to address and prevent male violence against girls and women
- Expert guidance and practical strategies for raising awareness and shifting misogynist ideologies
Sign up:
Now Streaming! The P-Word Podcast
🎙️ Hosted by Drs. Gail Dines and Mandy Sanchez, The P-Word Podcast features science-based, honest conversations with leading scholars, frontline professionals, and advocates to explore ways to create safer digital environments for youth.
🟦 In Episode 1: Unpacking a Massive Social Experiment, Gail and Mandy explore one of the biggest social experiments of our time: how digital media and algorithm-driven platforms are bombarding young people with pornographic content and shaping their social, emotional, and sexual development.
5 Things Parents and Caretakers Should Know About Pornography and Neurodivergent Youth
Today’s young people are growing up in a world where pornography, sexualized social media, and algorithm-driven content are often just a few clicks away. For neurodivergent youth — including autistic youth and those with ADHD — these digital environments can create unique vulnerabilities and challenges.
Drawing from the emerging research explored in our latest white paper, Invisible Harm: The Consequences of Pornography on Neurodivergent Youth, discover five important insights for parents and caregivers navigating today’s digital landscape.
Hear From Gail
In a powerful recent webinar hosted by World Without Exploitation (WWE), survivor leaders and subject-matter experts examined the pornography industry’s legacy of sexual exploitation, drawing on high-profile cases of trafficking and abuse to explore the systemic harms that continue today. Moderated by WWE’s Dahlia Edidin Locke, the panel featured Dr. Gail Dines of Culture Reframed, Mariah Rief of Undox Content Removal, and writer and advocate Jewell Baraka.
Upcoming Events
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.”
Where We’ve Been: Bristol Children’s Advocacy Center Training
Last month, Drs. Gail Dines and Mandy Sanchez joined this CAC training workshop as Featured Speakers, presenting “Growing Up in a Porn Culture: Social Media, Gaming, Trafficking & Pornography” to multidisciplinary professionals working to protect and support youth.
What Others Are Saying
You’d Better Start Paying Attention to the Manosphere. You’re Living in It (The Conversation)
The highest political institutions are now using the language and concepts of the manosphere, indicating the depth of influence this community and its beliefs have reached in today’s culture. Read more.
Teens Who Made Deepfake Porn of Classmates Were Just Sentenced. Will It Make a Difference? (USA Today)
Two male former private school students were sentenced on felony counts of sexual abuse of children for creating 347 explicit deepfake photos and videos of 60 girls. Read more.
It’s Time for a Real Conversation About Porn (American Institute for Boys and Men)
AI-generated pornography, algorithm-driven platforms, and hypersexualized media are reshaping young people’s sexual development. The commentary calls for more funding, research, and honest conversations to reflect this reality. Read more.
A School Leader’s Guide for Countering the Manosphere (Education Week)
The founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence shares insights for confronting misogynistic online culture within schools. Read more.
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