Some facts: About 200,000 Americans are classified as “porn addicts.” ... 35% of all internet downloads are related to pornography. 34% of internet users have experienced unwanted exposure to pornographic content through ads, pop up ads, misdirected links or emails. One-third of porn viewers are women.
How Internet Pornography Usage Hurts Teens
One area of study considered important among development experts is the effect of pornography on teens and young adults.
• It increases the odds of teenage pregnancy. Teenagers with frequent exposure to sexual content on TV have a substantially greater likelihood of teenage pregnancy, and the likelihood of teen pregnancy was twice as high doubles when the quantity of sexual content exposure within the viewing episodes was high.v
• It hinders sexual development. Pornography viewing by teens disorients them during the 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. Blocking internet-connected devices from accessing adult material is a good start in keeping pornography out of reach for teens.
• It raises the risk of depression. A significant relationship also exists among teens between frequent pornography use and feelings of loneliness, including major depression.
• It creates distorted expectations which hinder healthy sexual development. Adolescents exposed to high levels of pornography have lower levels of sexual self-esteem. Keeping the conversation going with your child about the effects of pornography is essential to heading off issues like depression and low self-esteem.
