September 2025: Meet a Co-Facilitator of Our Youth Advisory Council

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.

This month, we’re excited to introduce you to the incredible Ashley Staggers, a co-facilitator of Culture Reframed’s new Youth Advisory Council. Like so many in our generation, her personal experiences have ignited a passion to shift cultural narratives on sexual violence and pornography. Members of the youth council are seeking answers to this public health crisis — and taking on the research and innovation needed to solve it.

To help in your own journey to reframe the conversation, this issue contains new resources on porn and mental health, how to talk with young people about sexting, and an illuminating discussion with Dr. Gail Dines on her work to frame modern pornography as a harm-based human rights and public health issue.

Thank you for reading, sharing, and being part of our mission.

— Lindsay Morris
Program Assistant, Culture Reframed

Culture Reframed recently invited youth advocate Ashley Staggers to co-facilitate the newly launched Youth Advisory Council. In this role, Ashley helps plan and lead meetings while fostering a safe and inclusive space where the young members feel empowered and heard. Ashley brings a wealth of experience in youth leadership, gender-based violence prevention, and survivor advocacy through her work with Rights4Girls, the World Without Exploitation Youth Coalition, and Children’s Aid’s Fostering Youth Success Alliance. In this interview, Ashley shares the inspiration behind her work, the research informing her approach, and her long-term goals for the Youth Advisory Council.

Because the adolescent brain is forming new patterns of behavior, the effects of porn on the brain at this age are exacerbated. Research shows greater vulnerability to mental health issues and poor executive function, including impairments in judgment, memory, and emotional regulation.

We compiled research and information to help parents, caregivers, educators, and others better understand porns impact on mental health — and how to protect kids.

Did you know? Sexting by minors may be considered the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), a criminal act.

Sexting — sending sexually explicit messages or images via text — has become a regular occurrence for many young people who may be unaware of its serious consequences. Get informed and learn how to talk to your kids about sexting in our free new resource.

Inside the Porn Economy: Gail Dines on Bodies, Profit, and Power (International Policy Digest)

Dr. Gail Dines speaks on the connection between pornography and violence against women, and her work to frame modern pornography as a harm-based human rights and public health issue. “Young people deserve the opportunity to develop a sexuality that is meaningful to them, not one dictated by the interests of pornographers seeking profit,” she says.

Here’s where you can find the Culture Reframed team in the coming months:

FiLiA Women’s Rights Conference 2025

October 10–12 | Brighton, UK
Dr. Gail Dines will speak about the harms of pornography at Europe’s largest feminist conference, convening women who are challenging sex-based injustices across the world.

JuST Conference 2025

October 14–16 | Orlando, FL
Dr. Mandy Sanchez will present “Social Media, Porn, Artificial Intelligence (AI): The New Faces of Trafficking” at the nation’s leading training conference on juvenile sex trafficking.

12th Annual One Loud Voice Conference

November 4–6 | Biloxi, MS
Dr. Sanchez will deliver three presentations at Mississippi’s largest multidisciplinary child abuse conference, which will unite professionals from across the field for collaboration and cutting-edge training.

Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children (TED) Conference

November 11–14 | Kansas City, MO
This premier event gathers special education professionals and focuses on research, policy, and innovative practices. Dr. Sanchez will deliver a joint presentation with Courtney Wilt, Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, “Moving Forward Together: Empowering Neurodivergent Students through Critical Discourse on Culture and Sex Education.”

“Sex Is Kind of Broken Now”: Children and Pornography (Children’s Commissioner for England)

In light of the UK’s recently instated Online Safety Act, Dame Rachel de Souza shares a report on the normalization of children’s exposure to violent pornography and its impact on children. Read more.

The State of Boys in the Age of the Manosphere (Oprah Daily)

Parents and caregivers can protect against the rising tide of online misogyny by having open, ongoing conversations with their children about what they’re seeing online, who benefits from them engaging with this content, and how it influences their beliefs. Read more.

AI Chatbot Concerns, Whistleblower Allegations Revive Kids Online Safety Push (The Hill)

Recent revelations about how artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are interacting with and affecting children are colliding with longstanding concerns about tech companies’ approach to safety and revitalizing efforts to pass kids’ online safety legislation. Read more.

Impact of Pornography Consumption on Children and Adolescents: A Trauma-Informed Approach (Frontiers)

This mini review article frames pornography in underage consumers as something potentially traumatic in order to better understand its effects, its victims, effective legal solutions, and appropriate therapeutic interventions. Read more.

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