The next big thing has arrived in high schools around the world, and it’s not the latest iPhone.
Pornography has been a normalized pastime for our generation and the upcoming for more than a minute, but now—perhaps more than ever—porn culture is affecting the way students interact with one another and even with themselves.
From sexting to harassment and even image-based abuse—commonly known as “revenge porn”—the way porn culture has developed in high schools is not only shocking, it’s pretty sad.
Here are 10 facts about porn culture in high school today that everyone deserves to know whether you’re headed there soon you just lived through it yourself, or you’re raising someone who will be there soon. If education is power in this fight for love, knowing what’s going on is the first step to fighting against it.
1. Porn is an introduction to sex for basically everyone.
In today’s tech-savvy society, explicit adult content can be found virtually anywhere at any given time. Because the upcoming generation has embraced technology starting at a young age, it should come as no surprise that children have their first—and often unintentional—interaction with porn when they’re as young as 11 to 13 years old.
For most kids, that is years before they formally learn about sex either from parents or in the classroom, which no doubt makes this a confusing situation.
Because of these early overly-sexual experiences and the fact that actually talking about porn is still pretty taboo, more and more high schoolers are turning to porn to learn about sex—often before their first real-life sexual interaction.
In this New York Times article published earlier in 2018, a suburban boy explains, “There’s nowhere else to learn about sex…and porn stars know what they are doing.” This mentality, paired with a serious lack of educational settings to learn about sex, means easy-to-access pornography will continue to fill the vacuum for sex information among youth in America.
2. Sexting is the new flirting.
It’s 2021, and “sending nudes” to a crush is not going anywhere any time soon, especially since kids are spending more time isolated and indoors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sexting has completely skyrocketed with the existence of smartphones and the prevalence of porn among the rising generation. With more than 1 in 7 teens sending sexts and 1 and 4 receiving them, sexting has very much become a regular form of communication.
There are tons of issues with sending sexts like nonconsensual forwarding or sharing, or “revenge porn” among one of them—but more on that later. There’s an even bigger issue at hand, where teens feel it is necessary, normal, or are pressured to send pics sans clothing as social currency, without considering the very real ramifications of what pressing “send” can mean.
3. Porn encourages and promotes objectification among peers.
It’s common for porn consumers to start seeing people as objects, merely there for the entertainment, rather than people. The same is true for teens in high school—usually where pornography is present, respect for others—girls, more specifically—can be totally absent.
We know from personal accounts that in schools where porn is not only present but perceived as totally normal, boys often treat girls like objects by showing their friends explicit images of them, or using them for sexual favors to gain social status.
4. “Revenge porn” is something a lot of teens are dealing with.
Sometimes high school romances last a lifetime, but that is more the exception than the rule. Sexting and sending nudes almost naturally lends itself to image-based abuse or, as it is more commonly referred to, “revenge porn,” when the relationship goes south.
A recent report showed that 12% of teens reported to have forwarded a sext without consent, and over 8% have had one of their own sexts forwarded. A different study by the University of Kent shows that a shocking 99% of people surveyed expressed at least some approval with nonconsensual explicit pics being posted online.
In a study published in 2021, it was revealed that “slutpages” are the new way to nonconsensually aggregate nudes from other women or girls in a certain school, city, or area. In other words, “slutpages” are basically secret online groups where users can view and post intimate images most often of women often without their knowledge or consent, and often accompanied by their full name and age. The study concluded over 1 in 3 college students have visited a “slutpage,” and being involved in team sports or Greek life has a positive association with visiting a “slutpage,” with 1 of every 2 having done so.
Where does this learned behavior start? Likely in high school with the soliciting of intimate photos from a “target.”
How is this at all acceptable?
5. Doxing is becoming more of an issue.
“Doxing,” which is the malicious act of searching for and sharing private information about someone on the internet, has found its place in high schools as a likely result of porn culture.
One-third of teenage girls have reported being sexually harassed online, but doxing takes it a step further where young people share personal details of someone (usually a girl) who is seen as “easy.”
This is probably best explained in our recent article about student from more than 70 Australian high schools who were used as targets in a revenge porn-sharing online group. Basically, young men use the site to request explicit material (nudes) of a specific girl or girls from a specific school. Others would help by posting detailed information about the girls in question—their full name, phone number and even their address. The boys then start “hunting” and ultimately collect and barter their “wins.”
Doxing takes harassment to a whole new level, making revenge porn a game in which innocent girls are often the objects.
6. Degrading sex acts are becoming the norm.
In this New York Times article, high school students debate about certain sex acts their partners have asked them to do, like “facials.” In the conversation, one girl chimes in saying, “I actually don’t think [girls] like it. They do it because their partner likes it.”
The article describes a similar debate among high school students about anal sex. Among the guys who reported trying it, many said their friends encouraged them or they felt pressured and competitive with other guys doing it.
Girls as young as 15 describe boys pressuring them to provide sexual acts that are inspired by the porn they consume on the regular.
7. Sexual harassment and cyberbullying are further fueled by porn.
Bullying and sexual harassment, unfortunately, happen on their own, but how does porn culture add fuel to the fire?
We know from personal accounts that someone who chooses not to watch porn when their peers do are often put on blast. With the existence of social media, online bullying and harassment are so much more prevalent and less manageable. In a survey of girls and young women aged 15-19 throughout Australia, participants reported that lone sexual abuse and harassment were more and more becoming a normal part of their everyday interactions.
Porn consumption seriously normalizes sexual harassment, convincing students that unwanted sexual attention is normal and acceptable. Pornographic films that show men verbally abusing women teach young men how to treat women and—perhaps worse—teach women how they should be treated. How sad is that?
8. Girls going under the knife to pursue unrealistic beauty.
One of the problems with porn is that is doesn’t accurately portray reality. Men are shown as strong and dominant whereas the women are portrayed as perfect, submissive, airbrushed beauties. This can seriously kill the self-confidence of both boys and girls, especially during a time where the pressure to look a certain way is so prevalent.
A shocking report showed that from 2013 to 2016, the rate of labiaplasty—a plastic surgery performed to alter the appearance of the labia, the inner and outer folds of the vagina—increased by over 100%. Not only that, but the total number of patients 18 years and younger increased from 158 in 2013 to 559 in 2016—a 253.8% increase in just three years. It is reasonable to say that porn culture is a big part of why this procedure is on the rise.
9. Guys struggle with arousal when with real-life partners.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) has been increasing in sexually active men under the age of 40, and internet porn is to blame for this rise, with a growing number of studies showing a correlation between porn and ED. Pornography can also leave people wanting more, causing them to feel dissatisfied with what they experience in their real lives which can contribute to depression and anxiety symptoms.
Fight to de-normalize porn culture
Violence is not sexy. Harassment is not acceptable. Revenge porn is harmful. Sexual assault is toxic. This is why we fight against the normalization of porn and all the issues it carries with it.
The youth of today are our next generation of leaders. They’ll be steering our innovations and raising the next generation behind them. This is a pivotal time in people’s lives to develop healthy habits that will be with them for the rest of their lives.
The more we accept porn culture as the norm, the more we accept the subcultures it supports—like sexual assault, rape culture, racism, misogyny, harassment, and violence. We don’t have to accept porn as normal. We can fight for real love, and change the conversation.
Have you sent nudes while you were under 18?
As you can see from the surveys above, teens are sending and receiving nudes now more than ever. If you have nudes online from when you were under 18, you’re not alone—there is help to get them removed. Take It Down is a free resource created by the National Center on Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) created to help you remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before you were 18. If you’ve sent an explicit picture to someone while you were under 18, and now they’re threatening you or have posted it somewhere, or even if you’re unsure whether the image has been shared but want some help to try to remove it from places it may appear online, this service is for you.
Take It Down is a free service that can help you remove or stop the online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos taken of you when you were under 18 years old. You can remain anonymous while using the service, and you won’t have to send your images or videos to anyone. You can learn how to use Take It Down, a free, anonymous resource, here.
For more victim resources, click here.
Book a youth presentation at your school
Research suggests that school staff and administrators see pornography as a serious issue that affects their school’s cultural climate surrounding sexual violence and that education programs on porn help them feel more confident in addressing the issue and preventing sexual harassment.Maas, M. K., Gal, T., Cary, K. M., & Greer, K. (2022). Popular culture and pornography education to improve the efficacy of secondary school staff response to student sexual harassment., 1-23. doi:10.1080/15546128.2022.2076757Copy
Fight the New Drug’s age-appropriate and engaging presentations highlight research from respected academic institutions that demonstrates the significant impacts of porn consumption on individuals, relationships, and society. We take a three-dimensional approach to raising awareness on the harmful effects of pornography in society, so in addition to creating tools and resources for our global supporter base to share, we also love getting face-to-face with people in their schools and cities to provide research-backed information on this important issue.
As a non-legislative and non-religious organization, our goal is to ensure we deliver age-appropriate, key information backed by science and personal accounts to each audience so they are equipped to make informed decisions regarding pornography. All of our tailored presentations, whether it’s a school, community, parent, or conference presentation, will provide attendees with comprehensive, age-relevant information about:
- How porn impacts the brain
- How porn can harm relationships
- How porn affects society
- Healthy conversations about porn
- Free resources—educational and recovery
We offer presentations customized for each audience, aligning with our mission as a non-religious and non-legislative organization educating with science, facts, and personal accounts. We can provide engaging, empowering, and educational presentations for these types of audiences:
- Middle School/Junior High
- High School
- Parent/Community
- College/University
- Keynote
We empower your students to make educated decisions to better equip them to love themselves, have healthy relationships, and make a positive difference in the world.
What are you waiting for? Click here to learn more and book us today.