The recent trend of mainstream pornography is distorting teenagers’ relationships. The large industry promotes unrealistic expectations, a misrepresented view of intimacy and ultimately leaves people unsure in what they look for in a relationship. Teens and young adults are impacted by the disposition of online pornography and the effects on current day relationships. An important factor in fixing these problems is monetizing media better and making sure that mainstream pornography is not being broadcasted on social media.
According to a publication by the Wave Clinic, “Watching pornography may also affect the way teenagers relate to attachment figures, such as caregivers, close friendships or romantic partners. One study found that adolescents who consumed pornography bonded less with their caregivers. It’s possible that these patterns are repeated in other attachment relationships, such as friendships and partnerships.” Pornography not only affects the relationships of teens; it’s also affecting the way they think of these relationships. The Wave Clinic explains the neurological side of watching porn and the direct impact it has on one’s brain, “Consuming pornography triggers the reward system in teenage brains, releasing the hormone dopamine and causing urges to repeat the activity again. Because adolescent brains release more dopamine, they may experience intensified emotions of pleasure and craving.” The increased use of pornography triggers a temporary high of satisfaction, making it addicting as well as unhealthy.
Now, more than ever, it is easier to assess how online pornography and nudity is directly impacting the youth. The internet makes it simpler to access these sites, as well as media promoting nudity and sexual content. A Common Sense Media study on children exposed to porn recorded the exposure young kids are facing online. “A majority of teens ages 13 to 17 have seen pornography online either intentionally or accidentally.” Common Sense CEO, Jim Steyer, found their resulting statistics shocking. “I was pretty shocked to know that 73 percent of all teenagers in the United States are exposed to pornography,” Steyer said. “Online pornography is everywhere, and kids are accessing it early.”
Teens everywhere are being exposed earlier in their life to pornography and sexual content. A September Bark survey found that 84 percent of students have heard of the platform OnlyFans. OnlyFans, not originally catered towards sexual content, has been used to create online pornography and nudity where users can “subscribe” to the creator for fees every month to see their content. While OnlyFans can be used for art, influencers and marketing, it is not monetized so users can post pornographic and nude material. This makes it easy for subscribers to access pornography and content creators to make a living off of it.
Another point is to be made that sex workers can easily make content and cater to clients, but the danger of sex trafficking is still present even online. The National Library of Medicine did a report on virtual sex work and found that“clients may record a sex worker’s image without their consent,” and that it causes the issue of a “form of technology-facilitated intimate partner violence that violates one’s digital privacy and autonomy.”
As mainstream pornography grows across social media, the influence among its presence to young adults becomes more apparent. Social media apps with users that promote their sexual content and nudity continue to grow, exposing young users to inappropriate content and normalizing sexual exertion. With this issue comes the solution to properly filter sexual content, as well as looking for a way to better cater age-appropriate content to young users.
