The Impact of Adolescent Porn Use

This week, the state of Louisiana passed a law attempting to reduce adolescent consumption of online pornography by requiring porn viewers to input government-issued identification prior to viewing pornographic content. In light of this, I thought it worthwhile to touch on some of the researched and known consequences of pornography use in adolescence as this is the primary driver for the new Louisiana Porn ID Law.

Risky & Aggressive Behavior

There is evidence to show that teenage growth may be negatively impacted by excessive pornographic use. Consumption of pornography has been related in studies to increased risky sexual activity, skewed ideas about relationships and body image, and unfavorable attitudes about women. Teenagers that watch porn may have a higher propensity to engage in risky sexual behaviors, such as not using condoms, as well as sexually aggressive conduct. Consuming porn may also be associated with a diminished capacity to establish and maintain personal relationships, as well as with body image problems and low self-esteem. To fully comprehend the possible hazards and adverse impacts of adolescent pornography usage, further study is necessary to properly understand the complicated link between pornography use and bad outcomes.

The research mentioned above looked into the possible detrimental effects of pornography use on teenagers. According to Brooke Wells, Rebecca Block, and Jennifer Manlove's 2017 article in the Journal of Pediatrics, teenagers who watched porn were more likely to report engaging in hazardous sexual activity, such as not using condoms, and more likely to report experiencing interpersonal violence.

Ana Bridges, Christopher Mitchell, and Matthew Cook's 2018 article in the Journal of Adolescent Health indicated that teens who watched porn were more likely to maintain gender stereotypes and report tolerating various forms of sexual coercion.

The intake of pornography has also been linked in other studies to concerns with body image, difficulties creating and maintaining personal relationships, and negative views about women. To fully comprehend the possible hazards and adverse impacts of adolescent pornography usage, further study is necessary to properly understand the complicated link between pornography use and bad outcomes.