Adolescents and Pornography: A Review of 20 Years of Research
AUTHOR(S)
PUBLISHED
2016 in Journal of Sex Research, Vol. 53(4-5), pp. 509-531
KEY FINDINGS
- This review article examines 20 years of research and concludes that pornography use among adolescents is associated with more permissive sexual attitudes and behaviors.
- This study also found that pornography is related to the occurrence of more sexual aggression.
ABSTRACT
The goal of this review was to systematize empirical research that was published in peer-reviewed English-language journals between 1995 and 2015 on the prevalence, predictors, and implications of adolescents’ use of pornography. This research showed that adolescents use pornography, but prevalence rates varied greatly. Adolescents who used pornography more frequently were male, at a more advanced pubertal stage, sensation seekers, and had weak or troubled family relations. Pornography use was associated with more permissive... READ FULL ABSTRACT
EXCERPTS
- "Our review of the past 20 years of research on adolescents and pornography has shown that adolescents use pornography although prevalence rates vary greatly. The most frequent adolescent users of pornography are male, sensation-seeking adolescents at a more advanced pubertal stage with weak or troubled family relations. Pornography use is associated with more permissive sexual attitudes and stronger gender-stereotypical sexual beliefs. Adolescents’ pornography use is also related to the occurrence of sexual intercourse, greater experience with casual sex behavior, and more sexual aggression, both in terms of perpetration and victimization."
