Teens and Pornography Porn is the New Drug?

Porn’s Harmless… Right? Unique for our generation Easily accessible Unlimited Free Coming-of-age viewpoint 3 Key Areas Brain Heart World

Brain: Addiction Brain is plastic Addictive behaviors Excessive use can change the brain permanently Addictive behaviors Grey matter in brain that’s responsible for decision making actually decreases over time Makes it harder to stop unwanted behaviors Neural pathways are affected the same was as if you were addicted to drugs or alcohol Porn=Pleasure Actually more addictive than drugs or alcohol Easy access Power of curiosity Interest leads to more exposure Need for more because they become numb to it Aggressive behaviors such as rape or violence Porn alone isn’t enough

Heart: Changes in Relationships Affects how we connect and express love “Natures shift and mold over time on a biological level based on what we consume on a regular basis.” Brain gets rewired Sexual preferences change Expectations change People change during adolescence and emerging adulthood the most because this is a critical period of self-enlightenment Experimenting new sexual templates “The part of the brain that lights up when viewing porn deals with working with objects and not humans.” Teaches us to treat sexuality and subjects of sexuality as objects instead of partners Can’t be aroused without porn Men are having difficulties with ED at an earlier age

World: How We View Pornography There are more forms of porn available to the public now than ever before. Parents only really associate porn to magazines like playboy. Don’t think about videos, advertisements, games, and other forms of media “It’s like comparing a cute little kitten to a sabertooth tiger with laser eyes.” See porn as harmless/natural/cool Idea that porn isn’t harmful and it’s “not reality” Makes sexual violence less radical People become numb to it and unconsciously accepting to sexual violence Leads to an increase in aggressive behaviors on school campuses Most cases of sexual violence ever seen in the last 3-5 years Almost unheard of at these levels before smartphones Changes the perspectives on consent In porn no=yes. In reality no=no but people don’t recognize this anymore

What Can We Do? Include science based education into your disciplinary policies Teens trust science most Embed education into existing curriculum Sexual education classes Use creative ways to educate Relate to pop-culture and be non-judgemental School or community presentations White ribbon week, red flag campaign, teens sharing stories Parent outreach and education Parents need to be involved and informed The Fortify program Free program to help teens with their addiction Change the conversation Teens are more motivated by culture and social change than money today

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