Subject: Criminology

Topic: The Impact of

Pornography on
Adolescent

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF:

Prof. Dr. Arpita Mitra

Assistant Professor (II)
SUBMITTED BY:

Nilanjan Chakraborty
Roll No: 1785006
Batch of LLM (2017-18)
KIIT School of Law, KIIT University
Bhubaneshwar, Odisha
 INDEX
1. Introduction
2. Exposure to Pornography is Common in
Adolescence
3. Exposure to Pornography has Negative
Effects on Healthy Development and
Relationships
4. Pornography Exposure Contributes to
Sexual Aggression in Some Users
5. Adolescents At Risk
6. Adolescent Exposure To Pornography in
the Media
7. Pornography in the Context of
Modernitys Social and Sexual Problems
8. Statistical Data
9. Conclusion
7. References
INTRODUCTION:

Pornography use today is becoming more mainstream and normalized, especially since
the advent of high-speed internet. The influence of internet pornography has been
debated and researched by numerous disciplines as the internet is expanding throughout
the world. The internet has become the central vehicle for the distribution of
pornography, which has altered the way in which individuals use pornography.

The internet makes pornography available, because nearly everyone has internet
access; the use of pornography has become anonymous, because one can access
pornography without anyone else knowing about it; the internet makes pornography
affordable, because one no longer has to spend on a VHS tape or DVD because the
majority of internet pornography is free; and finally, the internet makes pornography
increasingly addictive, because it removes all barriers to access, and because of the
sheer quantity of content, both of which have contributed to heightened levels of
arousal that were not prevalent in pornography users before the advent of internet. In
discussing the influence of pornography use, it is important to define pornography and
its distinction from erotica. In one study, Senn and Radtke (1990) 1 differentiated
between violent pornography, non-violent pornography and erotica:

Violent pornography contains images that portray explicit violence of varying

degrees perpetuated against one individual (usually female) by another (usually male).
Non-violent pornography contains images that have no explicitly violent content
but may imply acts of submission or violence by the positioning of the models or the
use of props. They may also imply unequal power relationships by differential dress,
costuming, positioning or by setting up the viewer as a voyeur (e.g., the model is
engaged in some solitary activity and seems totally unaware or very surprised to find
someone looking at her). Erotica contains sexual images that have as their focus
the depiction of mutually pleasurable sexual expression between people who have
enough power to be there by positive choice. They have no sexist or violent

1 Journal of Inter-Personal Violence,

http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/jhamlin/3925/4925HomeComputer/Rape%20myths/Rape-Myth%20
Congruent.pdf, October 18, 2017, 09:32 hours

1
connotations and are hinged on equal power dynamics between individuals as well as
the camera/photographer.2

EXPOSURE TO PORNOGRAPHY IS COMMON IN

ADOLESCENCE:

Recent studies suggest that exposure to sexual material is common. Fifteen percent of
1217 year old children report looking at X-rated material either online or through
traditional mediums. When unwanted exposure also is included, 42% of such 1217
year old in one nationally representative survey report any exposure to x-rated material
online, 20 and 70% of such 1517 year old internet users in another nationally
representative survey reported accidentally viewing pornography online very or
somewhat often.3 In a study of 876 young people aged 15-25 years in Sweden who
visited a youth center for a period of one year, nearly all of the participants had viewed
pornographic movies (among those 15 years of age, 98.9% of boys and 73.5% of girls).
The majority of males (62.7%) responded positively toward pornography, describing it
as stimulating and cool, but about all exciting.4

EXPOSURE TO PORNOGRAPHY HAS NEGATIVE

EFFECTS ON HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT AND
RELATIONSHIPS:
Using a study of 2,343 Dutch 13-20 year olds found frequent exposure to sexually
explicit materials (pornography) via the internet was related to greater sexual
uncertainty (i.e., clarity of ones sexual beliefs or values) and more positive attitudes

2 Women 's Evaluations of and Affective Reactions to Mainstream Violent Pornography, Nonviolent
Pornography, and Erotica,
http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=psychologypub, October 18,
2017, 09:32 hours.
3 Ybarra, ML; Mitchell, KJ; Hamburger, M; Diener-West, M; and Leaf, JP, Wiley-Liss, Inc. (2011).
X-Rated Material and Perpetration of Sexually Aggressive Behavior Among Children and Adolescents:
Is There a Link? Aggressive Behavior. 37, 1-18.
4Wallmyr, G. & Welin, C. (2006). Young People, Pornography, and Sexuality: Sources and Attitudes.
The Journal of School Nursing. 22(5) 290-295.

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toward uncommitted sexual exploration (i.e., sexual relations with casual partners).5
Prolonged exposure to pornography leads to exaggerated perception of sexual activity
in the populace (e.g. sodomy, group sex, sadomasochistic practices and bestiality). It
also creates dispositional changes including diminished trust in intimate partners, the
abandonment of hopes for sexual exclusivity with partners and the evaluation of
promiscuity as the natural state. It fosters cynical attitudes about love, and sexual
pleasures are considered attainable without affection toward partners. 6 A rigorous
meta-analysis of 46 studies provides clear evidence confirming that pornography
exposure is one important factor contributing directly to the development of sexually
dysfunctional attitudes and behaviours. The adverse effects of pornography exposure
identified include: developing sexually deviant tendencies; committing sexual
offenses; experiencing difficulties in ones intimate relationships; and accepting rape
myths (e.g. a rape victim deserved to be raped because of how she dressed).7

PORNOGRAPHY EXPOSURE CONTRIBUTES TO

SEXUAL AGGRESSION IN SOME USERS:

A study of 804 Italian males and females aged 14 to 19 found pornography use and
sexual violence were significantly correlated. Females who watched pornographic
videos were at significantly greater likelihood of being a victim of sexual harassment or
sexual assault, while males who viewed pornography were significantly more likely to
report having sexually harassed a peer or forcing someone to have sex.8

Among the 10-15 year old respondents surveyed nationally in the Growing up with
Media Study, self-reports of intentional exposure to x-rated violent material are
associated with significantly higher odds of reporting perpetration of sexually

5 Peter, J., & Valekenburg, P.M. (2008). Adolescents exposure to sexually explicit internet material,
sexual uncertainty and attitudes towards uncommitted sexual exploration: Is there a link?
Communications Research, 35(5), 596-601.
6
Zillman, D. (2000). Influence of unrestrained access to erotica on adolescents and young adults
dispositions toward sexuality. Journal of Adolescent Health, 27S(2), 41-44.
7
Paolucci-Oddone, E., Genuis, M., & Violato, C. (2000). A meta-analysis of the published research on
the effects of pornography. In C. Violato, E. Paolucci-Oddone, & M. Genius (Eds). The Changing
Family and Child Development (pp. 48-59). Aldershot, England: Ashgate Publishing.
8 Bonino, S., Ciairano, S., Rabaglietti, E., & Cattelino, E. (2006). Use of pornography and self-reported
engagement in sexual violence among adolescents. European Journal of Developmental Psychology,
3(3), 265-288.

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aggressive behavior. This association remains significant even after a range of risk
factors are considered. Importantly the relationship between x-rated material and
sexually aggressive behavior appears to be driven by the violent content of the x-rated
material. When violent and nonviolent x-rated material are examined separately,
consumers of violent x-rated material are almost six times more likely than
non-consumers of violent x-rated material to report sexually aggressive behavior. In
contrast, consumers of non-violent x-rated material are statistically equally likely to
report sexually aggressive behavior compared to those who report no consumption of
non-violent x-rated material.9

In a study of 483 seventh and eighth grade boys increased exposure to sexually explicit
media at the studys outset predicted more frequent sexual harassment perpetration two
years later, even considering controls (i.e. demographics, pubertal status, and sensation
seeking).10

A growing body of evidence indicates that high-frequency pornography use or

consumption of violent pornography among boys and young men intensifies attitudes
supportive of sexual coercion and increases their likelihood of perpetrating assault.11

Sexually Reactive Children and Adolescents (SRCAs) are individuals who engage in
sexually inappropriate and/or coercive acts with other youth and adults. Such children
and adolescents are often victims of neglect, sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse.
SRCAs who used pornography were 5.1 times more likely to engage in coerced vaginal
penetration, and 4.9 times more likely to have engaged in sex with animals than a
nonusing cohort.12

9 Ybarra, ML; Mitchell, KJ; Hamburger, M; Diener-West, M; and Leaf, JP, Wiley-Liss, Inc. (2011).
X-Rated Material and Perpetration of Sexually Aggressive Behavior Among Children and Adolescents:
Is There a Link? Aggressive Behavior. 37, 1-18.
10Brown, J., & LEngle, K. (2009). X-Rated: Sexual attitudes and behaviors associated with U.S. early
adolescents exposure to sexually explicit media. Communication Research, 36(1), 129-151.
11Flood, M. (2009). The harms of pornography exposure among children and young people. Child
Abuse Review, 18, 384-400.
12Alexy, E. M., Burgess, A. W., & Prentky, R. A. (2009). Pornography use as a risk marker for an
aggressive pattern of behavior among sexually reactive children and adolescents. Journal of the
American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 14(6), 442-453.

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In a sample of 312 juvenile sexual offenders and non-sexual offenders, more than
50% percent of both groups saw some form of pornography before age 10, and nearly
all youth were exposed to pornography after age 10. Pornography was not found to
have a correlation with the age at which sexually offending youth began abusing
others, the severity of their offenses, the total number of their victims, or degree of
force used in their offending behaviors. However, pornography exposure was
significantly correlated with their sexual arousal toward males under 12, masochism,
males and females aged 13-18, and sadism. Additionally pornography exposure prior
to age 10 was significantly correlated with felony assault, general delinquency, felony
theft, drug sales, alcohol use, drug use, robbery, public disorderly conduct, and
property damage.13

ADOLESCENTS AT RISK:

Pornography viewing among teenagers disorients them during that developmental

phase when they have to learn how to handle their sexuality and when they are most
vulnerable to uncertainty about their sexual beliefs and moral values.14 A study of
2,343 adolescents found that sexually explicit internet material significantly increased
their uncertainties about sexuality. The study also showed that increased exposure to
sexually explicit internet material increased favorable attitudes toward sexual
exploration with others outside of marriage and decreased marital commitment to the
other spouse.15

Another study by Todd G. Morrison, professor of psychology at the University of

Saskatchewan in Canada and colleagues found that adolescents exposed to high levels
of pornography had lower levels of sexual self-esteem. A significant relationship also

13
Burton, D. & Leibowitz, G., Booxbaum, A. & Howard, A. (In press) Comparison by crime type of
juvenile delinquents on pornography exposure: The absence of relationships between exposure to
pornography and sexual offense characteristics. The Journal of Forensic Nursing.
14
Jochen Peter and Patti M. Valkenburg, Adolescents Exposure to Sexually Explicit internet Material,
Sexual Uncertainty, and Attitudes Toward Uncommitted Sexual Exploration: Is There a Link?
Communication Research 35 (2008): 579-601 (581).
15
Peter and Valkenburg, Adolescents Exposure to Sexually Explicit internet Material.

5
exists between frequent pornography use and feelings of loneliness, including major
depression.16

Finally, viewing pornography can engender feelings of shame: In a study of high

school students, the majority of those who had viewed pornography felt some degree
of shame for viewing it. However, 36 percent of males and 26 percent of females said
they were never ashamed of viewing pornography, 10 giving some idea of the level of
desensitization already reached in society. High adolescent consumption of
pornography also affects behavior. Male pornography use is linked to significantly
increased sexual intercourse with non-romantic friends, 11 and is likely a correlate of
the so-called hook-up culture. Exposure to pornographic sexual content can be a
significant factor in teenage pregnancy. A three year longitudinal study of teenagers
found that frequent exposure to televised sexual content was related to a substantially
greater likelihood of teenage pregnancy within the succeeding three years. This same
study also found that the likelihood of teenage pregnancy was two times greater when
the quantity of that sexual content exposure, within the viewing episodes, was high
rather than low.17

ADOLESCENT EXPOSURE TO PORNOGRAPHY IN

THE MEDIA:

The phenomenal growth of mass media during the late 20th century and particularly
the establishment of the internet, has vastly increased accessibility to pornography and
other sexually-related information. This creates a major obstacle to the healthy
development of sexuality, especially among youth. Though most U.S. parents (78
percent) are worried about their adolescents accessing internet pornography, not all
teenagers readily take to this sexualized culture. Most start out being ill at ease with

16Michele L. Ybarra and Kimberly J. Mitchell, Exposure to internet Pornography among Children and
Adolescents: A National Survey, CyberPsychology & Behavior 8 (2005): 473-86 (479).
17
Anita Chandra, Steven C. Martino, Rebecca L. Collins, Marc N. Elliott, Sandra H. Berry, David E.
Kanouse, and Angela Miu, Does Watching Sex on Television Predict Teen Pregnancy? Findings from a
Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Pediatrics 122 (2008): 1047-1054 (1052).

6
any display of pornography: they tend to be upset or embarrassed, 18 with reactions
ranging from fear to shame to anger to fascination.

In one survey, about a quarter were very upset by this exposure, but they tend not to
report it. Adolescents often come across pornography accidentally on the internet.
One study found that 70 percent of youth aged 15 to 17 accidentally came across
pornography online. A study of 1,501 youth aged ten to seventeen examined
unwanted exposure incidents more thoroughly: in 26 percent of the cases, respondents
reported that when they tried to exit an unwanted site, they were actually brought to
an additional sex site. The same study showed that out of the total number of
unwanted exposure incidents, 44 percent of the time the youth did not disclose the
episode to anyone else.19

These initial reactions of disgust, however, rapidly dissipate so that older adolescents
tend to use sexually explicit Internet material more often than younger adolescents
and are twice as likely to report intentional pornography use as are younger
adolescents. Repeated exposure to pornography eventually wipes out any feelings of
shame and disgust and gives way, instead, to unadulterated enjoyment.20

A 2005 survey showed that respondents who reported unintentional exposure to

pornography were over 2.5 times as likely to then report intentional exposure as those
who did not report any unintentional exposure. It seems the unintentional exposure
has its effect of bringing them back for more, which of course is one of the fears of
parents. Several factors predict an adolescents use of pornography. Teenagers who
watch pornography more frequently tend to be high sensation seekers, less satisfied
with their lives, have a fast Internet connection, and have friends who are younger.
Adolescents are at greater risk for intentionally seeking out sexual material when they
have high levels of computer use. The more time spent on the computer, the more
likely these adolescents will search for sexually explicit content.21 Not surprisingly,

18
C. Von Feilitzen and U. Carlsson, Children in the New Media Landscape: Games, Pornography,
Perceptions (Goteburg: UNESCO/Nordicom, 2000).
19
Mitchell, Finkelhor, and Wolak, Victimization of Youths on the Internet.
20
Weaver, The Effects of Pornography Addiction on Families and Communities.
21
Amanda Nosko, Eileen Wood, and Serge Desmarais, Unsolicited Online Sexual Material: What
Affects Our Attitudes and Likelihood to Search for More? The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality
16 (2007): 1-10 (6-7).

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given all that has already been reported, viewers who masturbate while viewing
sexually explicit material assess the material more favorably than those who do not
masturbate. There is a difference between boys and girls reasons for seeking
pornographic sites, differences that parallel the different patterns of adult male and
female use of pornography. Boys tend to seek pornography initially because they are
curious or want sexual arousal, while girls tend first to go to non-pornographic but
sexually oriented sites for sexual health or relationship-related information. Also, the
impacts are different for boys and girls: males report more positive memories of
sexually explicit material than females and report more positive attitudes toward
uncommitted sexual exploration as their use of pornography increases. In one study,
adolescents who watched the highest level of sexual content on television doubled the
likelihood they would initiate intercourse.22

PORNOGRAPHY IN THE CONTEXT OF

MODERNITYS SOCIAL AND SEXUAL PROBLEMS:

Nearly two-thirds of United States high-school students have had sexual intercourse by
grade twelve.23 Of these sexually active high-schoolers, 70 percent of females and 55
percent of males report that they wish they had waited instead. These numbers have
massive implications for the future of the American family, for of women who have had
three sexual partners other than their eventual husband, only 39 percent will be in a
stable marriage by their mid-thirties.

In 2007, 20 percent of U.S. girls in grade 12 already have had sexual intercourse with
four or more partners.24 The vast majority of their children will grow up without their
fathers present. As the said data make clear, pornography further misshapes this already
dysfunctional sexuality and the consumption of pornography can become a destructive
addiction as well. This sexual malformation not only affects the consumer of
pornography, but also weakens those close to him or her. Habitual consumption of

22
Rebecca L. Collins, Marc N. Elliott, Sandra H. Berry, David E. Kanouse, Dale Kunkel, Sarah B.
Hunter, and Angela Miu, Watching Sex on Television Predicts Adolescent Initiation of Sexual
Behavior, electronic version, Pediatrics 114 (2004): e280-9 (e284-5).
23
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance --- United States, 2007 June 6, 2008 / 57(SS04); 1-131 Table
24
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance --- United States, 2007 June 6, 2008 / 57(SS04);1-131 Table 63
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5704a1.htm#tab63, October 17, 2017, 16:43 hours

8
pornography can break down the relational substrates of human life and
interactionfamily, friends and society. As such, reinforcing these relationships is the
surest guard against such destructive sexual tendencies. The closer adult men were to
their fathers growing up, the fewer non-marital sexual behaviors they engage in and the
greater their levels of marital happiness and family satisfaction.25

The proportion of adolescents who rate their fathers as very close to them is highest
among those from intact married families (40 percent) and lowest among those from
single-parent families (three percent). Society benefits when it fosters a healthy
sexuality. Human beings are healthiest and happiest when they are monogamous (only
one sexual partner in a lifetime) and that happiness is directly related to monogamys
long-term stability and exclusivity. Healthy relationships yield additional positive
sexual outcomes. Some research indicates that married couples have the most frequent,
and Conservative Protestant women have the most enjoyable, sexual relations.26

The supreme and tragic irony is that, while the desire for the highest levels of sexual
fulfillment are likely the motive for many adolescents first peek into pornography, the
attainment of that universal longing is most likely to be had through monogamy and
regular participation in religious worship. These insights, until recently, were common
social assumptions and institutionalized patterns. Until the dawn of the sexual
revolution and, later, the digital age, they were reflected in a public opprobrium of
pornography. One 1994 study found that 71 percent favored a total ban on sexually
violent movies and 77 percent a total ban on sexually violent magazines. Only eight
percent thought that there should be no restrictions on the former, and only three
percent thought there should be no restrictions on the latter. Concerning merely
sexually explicit magazines, less than 10 percent thought there should be no restrictions
on the material.27

The cultural censure of disordered sexuality that enables stable family life has faded
with the proliferation of Internet pornography. As a result, the effects of
25
R. Hosley, K. Canfield, S.L. O'Donnell, and G. Roid, Father Closeness: Its Effect on Married Mens
Sexual Behaviors, Marital, and Family Satisfaction, Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity 15 (2008):
59-76 (69-70).
26
Robert T. Michael, John H. Gagnon, Edward O. Laumann, and Gina Kolata, Sex in America: A
Definitive Survey (New York: Little, Brown & Company, 1994), 118, 127, 129.
27
Randy D. Fisher, Ida J. Cook, and Edwin C. Shirkey, Correlates of Support for Censorship of Sexual,
Sexually Violent, and Violent Media, The Journal of Sex Research 31 (1994): 229-40 (234).

9
hyper-sexualization permeate society. Todays youth are reaching puberty earlier,
engaging in sexual intercourse sooner, while Emerging Adults are cohabiting more,
having children out of wedlock and getting married significantly later or not at all. The
key to militating against these damaging patterns and to protecting against the effects of
pornography is to foster relationships of affection and attachment in family.

The first and most important relationship is between the father and the mother. The
second is engaged parents who love their children. In todays technological society, this
means limiting, monitoring, and directing their childrens Internet use. This, in turn,
provides an invaluable shield against Internet pornography and allows room for a
healthy sexuality to unfold in a natural and socially supported way. In our
over-sexualized culture, with a longer pre-marriage period, children need the capacity
for abstinence if their sexuality is to be channeled into stable marriage, procreation, and
healthy family life for their children. Strong families remain the best defense against
the negative effects of pornography, especially when aided by regular religious worship
with all the benefits it brings.28

STATISTICAL DATA:

29

28
Nicholas Zill, Quality of Parent-Child Relationship, Religious Attendance, and Family Structure,
http://www.mappingamericaproject.org/publications, October 17, 2017, 19:21 hours
29
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CP7DwvWVAAEE58R.jpg, October 17, 2017, 21:58 hours

10
CONCLUSION:

Contemporary society is alarmingly sexualized, and the traditional sexual taboos of a

well-functioning society have broken down. Pornography has never been as
accessible by and popular with young adults as it is today. The Internet has made
pornography use mainstream and commonplace, influencing attitudes about sexuality,
women, and relationships. What we need now is a re-conceptualization of harm from
repeated exposure to pornography. Past and current research indicate a significant
difference between individuals who are exposed repeatedly to pornography and those
who are not, in the areas of attitudes toward women and sexual assault, number of
sexual partners, and relationship satisfaction. The fundamental role of government
(including the courts) is to protect innocent citizens, most especially children and
adolescents, and to protect the sound functioning of the basic institutions of family,
church, school, marketplace, and government. They are all interdependent.
Pornography, clearly, undermines both marriage and the family, and has a host of ill
effects. It is time for government to reassess its laissez-faire attitude towards the
proliferation of pornography, especially on the Internet. Our present and future
families need protection from this insidious enemy of love, affection, and of family
and social stability.

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