Pornography

 "Pornography fosters aggression by normalizing and depicting verbal and physical violence as enjoyable.

Aggressive acts against women in pornography occur in roughly 87% of the scenes, and 95% of the time when these acts are committed, women respond with expressions of pleasure or neutrality. Pornography acts as a form of sexual education, teaching the lesson that female sexual partners ought to enjoy physical acts such as hitting, gagging, slapping, or nonconsensual sex. Unsurprisingly, the research is clear that even mainstream pornography use by frequent viewers is associated with greater intent to commit rape—a real danger for an domestic abuse victim/survivor. 

https://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/three-ways-domestic-violence-is-connected-to-pornography/

"Pornography is arguably more sexist and hostile towards women than other sexual images in the media. The aggression and violence towards women found in much of today’s popular pornography can teach boys and young men that it is socially acceptable, and even desirable, to behave aggressively towards and demean women.

Pornography also portrays people and sexual relationships that do not accurately reflect how real people look and act and behave in intimate relationships. Unrealistic expectations of intimate partners may impede youths’ ability to build and maintain healthy relationships."

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/child_law/resources/child_law_practiceonline/child_law_practice/vol-33/may-2014/how-pornography-harms-children--the-advocate-s-role/ 

 "Research shows that 'media has a tremendous capacity to teach.' Excessive media use, particularly where the content is violent, gender-stereotyped, and/or sexually explicit, skews children’s world view, increases high-risk behaviors, and alters their capacity for successful and sustained human relationships.

Dr. Sharon Cooper, a forensic pediatrician and faculty member at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, maintains that 'imagery definitely affects children' and that children receive unhealthy sexual images from adult pornography. According to Dr. Cooper, pornography normalizes sexual harm by portraying a lack of emotional relationship between consensual partners, unprotected sexual contact, and, in some instances, violence and rape.

Dr. Cooper argues that children and youth are more vulnerable to pornographic images than adults because of mirror neurons in the brain, which convince people that they are actually experiencing what they see. Mirror neurons play an important role in how children learn. Children learn in large part by imitation, with mirror neurons involved in the process of observing what other people do and imitating those behaviors.  Pornography may have stronger effects among children and youth than other forms of media because it shows a much higher degree of sexual explicitness."

"Child on child sexual abuse is on the rise according to Robin Reber, admissions director for a program dedicated to helping teens overcome sexual or technology addictions. Reber notes that pornography is clearly linked to these behaviors. She writes in an article for Defend Young Minds: 

'Children simply do not just wake up one day and go touch another child sexually – it’s introduced, taught, learned and then explored. They are doing exactly what a child’s brain is set up to do–imitate.'”

https://everaccountable.com/blog/effects-of-early-sexualization-on-children/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20ongoing%20sexualization%20of%20young,harm%2C%20and%20suicidal%20thoughts.%E2%80%9D

 "The impact of a parent’s use of pornography on young children is varied and disturbing. Pornography eliminates the warmth of affectionate family life, which is the natural social nutrient for a growing child. Other losses and traumas related to the use of pornography when a child is young include:

• encountering pornographic material a parent has acquired;
• encountering a parent masturbating;
• overhearing a parent engaged in 'phone sex';
• witnessing and experiencing stress in the home caused by online sexual activities;
• increased risk of the children becoming consumers of pornography themselves;
• witnessing and being involved in parental conflict;
• exposure to the commodification of human beings, especially women, as “sex objects”;
• increased risk of parental job loss and financial strain;
• increased risk of parental separation and divorce;
• decreased parental time and attention—both from the pornography-addicted parent and from the parent preoccupied with the addicted spouse.

Also, parents may disclose their struggle with the addiction to pornography to their children, intentionally or unintentionally, thereby distorting their children’s sexual development."

https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/the-effects-of-pornography-on-individuals-marriage-family-and-community.html

“I am convinced that children who see their parents who value being agents of beauty and attraction for each other, thus providing maybe the best defense against the seeking out of pornography, will be less likely to seek out unhealthy sources of pleasure, and not just of a sexual sort.”  

James Schroeder, Pediatric  Psychologist 

https://everaccountable.com/blog/effects-of-early-sexualization-on-children/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20ongoing%20sexualization%20of%20young,harm%2C%20and%20suicidal%20thoughts.%E2%80%9D

"Studies on sexual content and violence in the media indicate that youth accept, learn from, and may emulate behaviors portrayed in the media as normative, attractive, and without risk. This is particularly concerning in light of the amount of pornographic materials that portray violence towards women. Past studies of the content of pornography concluded that the typical sexual script focuses on the sexual desires and prowess of men. A 2010 study of 50 popular pornographic films suggests that popular pornography contains high levels of physical and verbal aggression. The study found that only 10.2% of pornographic scenes did not contain an aggressive act. Physical aggression occurred in 88.2% of scenes and verbal aggression in 48.7%.16 Men committed 70.3% of all aggressive acts and 94.4% of aggression was directed towards women.

A 2009 analysis of studies on pornography and violence towards women reveals a significant relationship between pornography consumption and attitudes supporting violence towards women. The relationship is much stronger for violent as compared to nonviolent pornography. A 2001-2004 survey of middle and high school youth found 76% of boys who reported committing some form of sexual harassment also reported use of sexually explicit media.

A 2006 to 2008 survey of youth aged 10-15 found that youth who reported exposure to pornographic materials were 6.5 times more likely to report sexually aggressive behavior. Youth who reported exposure to nonviolent material were more than three times as likely to report sexually aggressive behavior, while youth who reported exposure to violent material were 24 times more likely to report sexually aggressive behavior."

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/child_law/resources/child_law_practiceonline/child_law_practice/vol-33/may-2014/how-pornography-harms-children--the-advocate-s-role/

"A recent USA Today article quoted Dawn Hawkins of the National Center On Sexual Exploitation, 'Young children who view pornography frequently disengage from their family and start to isolate more,' Hawkins said, noting that 'these children often become withdrawn, sullen or depressed.'”

https://everaccountable.com/blog/effects-of-early-sexualization-on-children/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20ongoing%20sexualization%20of%20young,harm%2C%20and%20suicidal%20thoughts.%E2%80%9D

"Establishing romantic and sexual relationships is a central developmental task for youth and young adults. Exposure to sexual content can compromise their ability to establish and maintain healthy intimate relationships. Sexual socialization theory suggests frequent exposure to consistent themes about gender and sexual behavior can affect a young person’s developing sense of what is expected sexually for men and women and may also affect later behavior. As mentioned earlier, for example, studies show a significant correlation between the use of pornography and aggressive attitudes and behaviors towards women.

Sexual content on television often sends messages about sexuality that are distorted, stereotypical, and potentially harmful. Frequent viewing of sexually oriented TV content like soap operas, music videos, and prime time programs is associated with greater acceptance of common sexual stereotypes and dysfunctional beliefs about relationships. A 2006 survey of high school youth aged 14-18 found regular media use was associated with support of sexual stereotypes and that youth who reported watching television for companionship were more likely to agree that sex is recreationally oriented, men are sex-driven, and women are sexual objects. Media images also offer information about sexual relationships without addressing the risks and responsibilities of sex, such as pregnancy and STIs.

If television can have such negative effects on children and youth, pornography, with its more violent and graphic images, can have an even greater impact. Research shows that young adults who are repeatedly exposed to pornography may have lower levels of trust in intimate partners and may lose hope of finding sexual exclusivity with a partner."

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/child_law/resources/child_law_practiceonline/child_law_practice/vol-33/may-2014/how-pornography-harms-children--the-advocate-s-role/

"Exposure to pornography harms children and youth by normalizing sexual violence, creating unrealistic expectations for intimate partners and relationships, and increasing the risk of addiction. Lawyers who represent children and youth should be aware that exposure to pornography may be at the root of some of their clients’ undesirable behaviors and should take care not to label their clients as 'problem children' or 'sexual offenders.'"

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/child_law/resources/child_law_practiceonline/child_law_practice/vol-33/may-2014/how-pornography-harms-children--the-advocate-s-role/

"SOS Safety Magazine agrees that emotional withdrawal is one of several signs that your child might be secretly viewing porn: 

'Another sign that your child is engaging in porn usage is that they will begin to lose interest in activities they once enjoyed. Porn takes over the brain and makes the user dependent on it for stimulus — making everything else seem dull and uninteresting in comparison.'"

https://everaccountable.com/blog/effects-of-early-sexualization-on-children/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20ongoing%20sexualization%20of%20young,harm%2C%20and%20suicidal%20thoughts.%E2%80%9D

https://www.covenanteyes.com/

book or visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW1RnaQPxyM

For individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
1-800-662-HELP (4357)

 1-800-799-7233

https://www.thehotline.org/. 

 If you or a loved one are trying to get nonconsensually shared pornography off of the internet visit https://cybercivilrights.org/online-removal/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjqJs3eOSF8

and/or visit: https://www.btr.org/