Hart Tammi M7 A2 Adolescents And Porn
- 1. Adolescents and Porn: Too Much Too Soon? Tammi HartArgosy University
- 2. TEENS AND THE INTERNET
- 4. Why Do Teens Search for Porn?It is “no big deal (Kinnes, 2004).”Porn is a “way of life” in today’s society (Kinnes, 2004).Parents have dropped the ball and are not computer literate (Apter, 2010).Teens need sex education and are ashamed to ask adults (Bleakley, et. al, 2009).
- 5. Not Just a U.S. Problem.Teens and porn are a global concern.
- 6. Research has established that porn is readily available for anyone to access. However, there are some questions left unanswered.
- 7. Unanswered QuestionsFor instance, does pornography lead to lascivious behavior? There are some studies that show a slight correlation such as the Braun-Courville and Rojas (2009) study mentioned previously, but not enough to make a definite connection.
- 8. Can viewing pornography be considered a rite of passage? Kinnes’ (2004) study suggests this when the teens that she interviews state that porn is a way of life and should be seen as nothing to worry about by parents. No other research was found to support or detract from what Kinnes (2004) discovered; therefore, more studies could be done to answer the above question.
- 9. Can pornography be used as sex education? None of the studies addressed this question. Most research seemed to focus on who viewed pornography and how accessible it was to those who came across it. There is a strong possibility that adolescents view pornographic websites to educate themselves about sex because they are uncomfortable asking adults for information or may not have anyone available to question about sex. Further research can be done to find the positive aspects of pornography instead of just focusing on the negative outcomes.ReferencesApter, Dr. T. (2010, April 10). Modern teenagers have access to millions of pages of internet porn. But are we creating a damaged generation as a result? Retrieved on May 14, 2010, from http://wf2dnvr8.webfeat.org/.Bleakley, A., Hennessy, M., Fishbein, M., & Jordan, A. (2009, January). How sources of sexual information relate to adolescents’ beliefs about sex. American journal of Health Behavior, 33(1), 37-48. Retrieved May 14, 2010, from PsycINFO database.Braun-Courville, D., & Rojas, M. (2009, August). Exposure to sexually explicit websites and adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45(2), 156-162. Retrieved on May 14, 2010, from doi:10.1016/jadohealth.2008.12.004.
- 10. ReferencesKinnes, S. (2004, October 24). Secret lives of high-tech teenagers. Retrieved on May 14, 2010, from http://wf2dnvr8.webfeat.org/.Jerome, R., Fowler, J., Stuart, D., Blonska, J., Grout, P., & Bane, J. (2004). The CyberpornGeneration. People, 61(16), 72-76. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete databaseLo, V., & Wei, R. (2005). Exposure to internet pornography and taiwanese adolescents' sexual attitudes and behavior. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 49(2), 221-237. doi:10.1207/s15506878jobem4902_5.
- 11. ReferencesTsitsika, A., Critselis, E., Kormas, G., Konstantoulaki, E., Constantopoulos, A., & Kafetzis, D. (2009). Adolescent pornographic internet site use: A multivariate regression analysisof the predictive factors of use and psychosocial implications. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12(5), 545-550. doi:10.1089/cpb.2008.0346.
Editor's Notes
- #2: This presentation aims to explore the research documenting adolescents’ easy access to internet porn.
- #3: The internet has revolutionized the way the world communicates. Virtually anyone has access to music, news, sexually explicit websites and movies. With the internet, parental consent is not always necessary. More often than not, parents lack computer skills; whereas, their children are technologically savvy (Apter, 2010). This ability to access the web easily contributes to large numbers of teenagers becoming more sexualized than any generation ever before.
- #4: The studies conducted that produced these disturbing statistics reveal just how easy it is for preteens and adolescents to read or watch porn on the internet. Jerome, et.al (2004) revealed that 70% of 15-17 year-olds prefer hardcore porn when they surf the web while Braun-Courville and Rojas (2009) stated that viewing porn sites leads to sexually permissive behaviors and attitudes that can include alcohol use during a sexual encounter and having multiple sex partners in a short period of time.
- #5: According to Kinnes’ Secret Lives of High-Tech Teenagers (2004), today’s teens view porn as a way of life. It is literally “no big deal” to them and in their opinion, adults should not make a big deal out of it either. The London School of Economics, UK Children Go Online (UKCGO) (Kinnes, 2004) showed that over 505 of those aged 9 – 19 years-old encountered pornography on a regular basis and, in fact, one-fourth had received pornographic mail from peers. Apter (2010) blames parents’ lack of technological savvy for some of the exposure. In Modern Teenagers Have Access to Millions of Pages of Internet Porn. But Are We Creating a Damaged Generation as a Result (Apter, 2010), it is discovered that the less a parent knows about computers and the internet, the easier it is for a child to have access to pornographic websites. It can be inferred that the lack of parental controls and involvement contributes to this because the children basically have “free reign” on the internet. They also have become desensitized to porn since 12% of 5 – 7 year-olds and 16% of 8 – 17 year-olds have unintentionally been exposed while 38% of older teens seek it out (Apter, 2010).
- #6: In fact, a study by Lo and Wei (2005) of Taiwanese adolescents showed that 38% regularly viewed pornography online and as a result had a more permissive view of sexuality. Tsitsika, Critselis, Kormas, Konstantoulaki, Constantopoulos, & Kafetzis (2009) of Greece conducted their own study of 529 Greek high school students and discovered that 19.47% of those were users of pornographic websites, were likely to be male, and had a conduct disorder.
- #7: For instance, does pornography lead to lascivious behavior? There are some studies that show a slight correlation such as the Braun-Courville and Rojas (2009) study mentioned previously, but not enough to make a definite connection.
- #8: In conclusion, more research needs to be done to determine if there are adverse effects of adolescents accessing pornographic sites on the internet. What is for sure is that porn is here and teens are going to seek it out.