Porn: Effects on Teens

Adolescents curiosity about sexuality is normal and a healthy aspect development of human development and the human brain is very pliable during adolescent age during which many new brain connections are made. Hence, this leaves teenagers vulnerable to the influence of their surroundings.

Pornography is easily accessible, inexpensive and easy to hide on the internet. Now if this alone does not terrify you, there are a lot more things going wrong with pornography. Porn are also portraying an unrealistic display of sexuality, body image and relationships. Porn is also promoting stereotyping gender roles and displaying violent sexual behavior.

Many teenagers are watching porn and masturbating, the brain is being shaped around a sexual experience that is isolating, irrational and completely revoked of any love or compassion.

Sexual Awareness

Lack of sex education and children move towards porn with a curious mind. While pornography does not educate adolescents about the reproductive aspect of sex and fails to teach about safe sex and managing relationships.

Attitude and Beliefs

Frequent use of porn is associated with a skewed view of the world from the teenager’s point of view like the normalization of sexual violence, sexual objectification, stereotyping general roles and sexism.

Sexual Behavior

Teenagers are seen to engage in the activities they see through pornography, such as engaging in sexual activities with protection or explicit sexual acts. Pornography also displays verbal and physical violence which conditions the child to hostility as well. 

Mental Health and Well-being

Exposure to sexually explicit images includes developing depression and low self-esteem. Other problems arise are the development of eating disorders, which stem from a negative perception of one’s body image. Young children can also feel pressured to engage in sexual activity and share images of themselves, which makes them susceptible to sexual abuse, harassment, bullying and sexual exploitation.

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