Although it’s not often discussed, nearly 1 in 12 teens reports experiencing physical dating violence, according to a 2019 survey.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Division of Adolescent and School Health. (2021). Youth risk behavior survey: Data summary & trends report 2009-2019. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/YRBSDataSummaryTrendsReport2019-508.pdfCopy
Even less talked about is the fact that pornography plays a role in informing teens’ understanding of sex and relationships in unhealthy ways.British Board of Film Classification. (2020). Young people, pornography & age-verification. BBFC. Retrieved from https://www.bbfc.co.uk/about-classification/researchCopy In fact, even though many teens report learning about sex from porn, research suggests that porn may be making teens more sexually illiterate.Wright, P. J., Tokunaga, R. S., Herbenick, D., & Paul, B. (2021). Pornography vs. sexual science: The role of pornography use and dependency in U.S. teenagers’ sexual illiteracy., 1-22. doi:10.1080/03637751.2021.1987486Copy
Research also suggests that as little as 35.0% and as much as 88.2% of popular porn scenes contain physical violence or aggression, and that women are the targets of violence approximately 97% of the time.Fritz, N., Malic, V., Paul, B., & Zhou, Y. (2020). A Descriptive Analysis of the Types, Targets, and Relative Frequency of Aggression in Mainstream Pornography. Archives of sexual behavior, 49(8), 3041–3053. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01773-0Copy Bridges, A. J., Wosnitzer, R., Scharrer, E., Sun, C., & Liberman, R. (2010). Aggression and sexual behavior in best-selling pornography videos: a content analysis update. Violence against women, 16(10), 1065–1085. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801210382866Copy
What is this teaching young people about sex?
Porn’s role in abuse
Reviews of the research on this topic reveal that porn can influence adolescents’ sexual attitudes and behavior, and can even play a role in increased sexual aggression.Koletić G. (2017). Longitudinal associations between the use of sexually explicit material and adolescents' attitudes and behaviors: A narrative review of studies. Journal of adolescence, 57, 119–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.04.006Copy Peter, J., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2016). Adolescents and pornography: A review of 20 years of research. 53(4-5), 509-531. doi:10.1080/00224499.2016.1143441Copy
In fact, dozens and dozens of studies show a direct link between porn and increased sexual aggression, showing that porn consumption is a significant predictor of committing acts of sexual violence.Wright, P. J., Tokunaga, R. S., & Kraus, A. (2016). A meta-analysis of pornography consumption and actual acts of sexual aggression in general population studies. Journal of Communication, 66(1), 183-205. doi:10.1111/jcom.12201Copy Peter, J., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2016). Adolescents and pornography: A review of 20 years of research. 53(4-5), 509-531. doi:10.1080/00224499.2016.1143441Copy Goodson, A., Franklin, C. A., & Bouffard, L. A. (2021). Male peer support and sexual assault: The relation between high-profile, high school sports participation and sexually predatory behaviour.27(1), 64-80. doi:10.1080/13552600.2020.1733111Copy
Additionally, research suggests that increased porn consumption is associated with men’s enjoyment of degrading and/or sexually aggressive behaviors.Ezzell, M. B., Johnson, J. A., Bridges, A. J., & Sun, C. F. (2020). I (dis)like it like that: Gender, pornography, and liking sex. J.Sex Marital Ther., 46(5), 460-473. doi:10.1080/0092623X.2020.1758860Copy
As one young person said in a recent study about porn’s influence on adolescents:
“My friend tried to choke his girlfriend once when they were having sex because he had seen it in a porno… it ended with the girlfriend slapping him and when he asked why she slapped him she said, ‘Because you were choking me.’” -Nicholas, 16, GlasgowBritish Board of Film Classification. (2020). Young people, pornography & age-verification. BBFC. Retrieved from https://www.bbfc.co.uk/about-classification/researchCopy
Another increasingly common form of dating violence is image-based abuse, sometimes called “revenge porn.”
With this in mind, it’s important to remember that:
- Any explicit content of a minor is legally considered “child pornography.”
- According to the Internet Watch Foundation, approximately 1/3 of child sexual abuse images are originally shared by the depicted minors themselves.Internet Watch Foundation. (2021). The annual report 2020: Self-generated child sexual abuse. Retrieved from https://annualreport2020.iwf.org.uk/trends/international/selfgeneratedCopy
- According to a longitudinal study on the topic, porn use significantly predicted more willingness to forward sexts nonconsensually.van Oosten, J., & Vandenbosch, L. (2020). Predicting the Willingness to Engage in Non-Consensual Forwarding of Sexts: The Role of Pornography and Instrumental Notions of Sex. Archives of sexual behavior, 49(4), 1121–1132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-01580-2Copy
- 1 in 3 underage teens say they have seen nonconsensually shared nudes of other minors.Thorn. (2020). Thorn research: Understanding sexually explicit images, self-produced by children. Retrieved from https://www.thorn.org/blog/thorn-research-understanding-sexually-explicit-images-self-produced-by-children/Copy
- 1 in 12 U.S. adults report being victims of nonconsensual porn and 1 in 20 have been perpetrators of spreading it.Ruvalcaba, Y., & Eaton, A. A. (2020). Nonconsensual pornography among U.S. adults: A sexual scripts framework on victimization, perpetration, and health correlates for women and men. Psychology of Violence, 10(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000233Copy
You deserve to feel safe
Teens learn about sex from porn, but porn teaches toxic lessons. In discussions about teen dating violence, we can’t forget how porn both fuels and normalizes sexual violence.
Sexual violence is never a requirement to be a fulfilling, exciting partner. Everyone deserves to make their own decisions about sex, free from what porn dictates as being normal or required.
Everyone deserves to be in intimate dating relationships where they feel respected, valued, and safe.
