PORN AND TEENS, AN EXPLOSIVE MIX

We resume September with a collaboration on a problem that has increased since the pandemic: the consumption of pornography by teens and tweens. Once again, beware the wolf, even more in these changing digital times where they spend too much time online. Thank you Dr. Gemma Mestre-Bach, and Dr. Carlos Chiclana for this article.

Teen porn use has increased exponentially in recent years, possibly due to the advent of sexually explicit content online. The Internet, according to one of the most accepted theories in the scientific field so far, the triple A theory (Anonymity. Accessibility. Affordability), allows particularly easy access to this type of content, facilitates the anonymity of the consumer of pornography and guarantees even free access to these contents. This, added to the scant regulation of pornography web pages, has promoted that minors may be exposed, either voluntarily or involuntarily, to these sexually explicit contents.

When analyzing the profile of minors who consume pornography, the recent Save the Children report stated that in Spain 53.8% of adolescents acknowledged having consumed pornography for the first time between the ages of 6 and 12, while the remaining 46.2% had been between the ages of 13 and 17. In addition to age, it is important to consider gender, since it has been observed that boys have a greater tendency to consume pornography, compared to girls. However, in recent years there has also been an increase in the consumption of pornography in girls.

Why do some teenagers consume pornography and others don’t?

It has been suggested that certain factors could be more associated with the consumption of pornography in adolescents such as, the male sex, high impulsivity, low self-esteem or a greater tendency to violate the rules.

What are the possible consequences of consuming pornography?

Some studies have observed that the consumption of pornography in adolescents could be associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms, the consumption of alcohol and other substances, or the development of an addiction to pornography, among others.

Although it is still a subject of debate that generates some controversy, there is increasing evidence about the existence of a possible addiction to pornography. It has been suggested that there are behaviors, such as gambling, shopping or, in this case, the use of pornography, that could become addictive, and that they have many similarities to drug addiction.

Some of the similarities between problematic porn use and drug addiction are as follows:

1. Desire and lack of control over behavior: the adolescent would have many difficulties in stopping the use of pornography and would report an irrepressible desire to see sexually explicit content.
2. Tolerance: the adolescent would need more and more consumption of pornography or consume more and more extreme or more sophisticated sexual content to feel just as excited as when he began to consume pornography.
3. Interference in different life contexts: the use of pornography would generate interference in the adolescent in their day-to-day life. For example, through interpersonal conflicts, a deterioration in school performance, fewer hours of sleep, etc.
4. Use despite the damage: although he experiences the negative consequences, he continues to consume pornography.

What to do about the use of adolescent pornography?

Different intervention strategies have been suggested:

• In the case of families, promote the use of the internet in shared spaces of the home, in order to carry out some supervision of the online content to which minors may be exposed. Having parental control software could also be a good option, since it has been found to be an effective tool for preventing the use of adolescent pornography. In addition, it has been proposed that Internet use be limited to about 2 hours a day and that parents be aware of their own online searches, to avoid the involuntary exposure of minors to sexually explicit content.

• In the case of pediatricians / doctors, it has been proposed to evaluate the use of pornography by adolescents from the age of 12. If there is suspicion of a possible problematic use of pornography by the adolescent, the frequency of consumption and the interference generated by pornography should be explored in depth and refer to mental health.

• Sexual, emotional and affective-relational training and education: it is the best prevention tool.

KEY POINTS

1. Not all adolescents consume pornography, nor do they all do it with the same frequency.
2. The consumption of pornography is associated with different factors, such as age, sex, or levels of impulsivity.
3. The consumption of pornography can be associated with negative consequences for adolescents, among which the problematic use of pornography stands out, also known as addiction to pornography.
4. It is essential that both family members and health professionals carry out effective intervention strategies in the event of suspected addiction to pornography.

Authors: Dr. Gemma Mestre-Bach, and Dr. Carlos Chiclana