Even in mainstream porn with popular performers, sex trafficking can still occur—and it happens more regularly than most people think. (Lange, 2018)

Research indicates that consuming porn can normalize sexual objectification and dehumanization, which can have profound consequences in the ways porn consumers view and treat others. (Skorska, Hodson, & Hoffarth, 2018; Zhou, Liu, Yan, & Paul, 2021; Wright, Tokunaga, & Kraus, 2016)

According to a content analysis of over 1,700 scenes on popular porn sites, videos featuring Black people disproportionately emphasize violence and aggression, perpetuate harmful racist stereotypes, and often depict Black people as “worse than objects.” (Fritz, Malic, Paul, & Zhou, 2021)

Most major porn sites do not verify the age or consent of all participants involved in the content uploaded to their platforms, making it incredibly easy to upload image-based abuse (sometimes referred to as “revenge porn”) or even child sexual abuse material (also known as “child pornography”). (Kristof, 2021)

According to research analyzing the content of porn videos, it’s estimated that as few as 1 in 3 and as many as 9 in 10 videos show acts of physical aggression or violence. (Fritz, Malic, Paul, & Zhou, 2020; Bridges, Wosnitzer, Scharrer, Sun, & Liberman, 2010)

Of the domestic minor trafficking victims who had been forced into porn, the average age they began being filmed was 12.8 years old. (Thorn, 2018)