Online pornography is a form of eroticization of violence. Teenagers thus legitimize the aggressiveness of the relationships they forge, because that's what they see every day on their smartphones.
Written and verified by the psychologist GetPersonalGrowth.
Last update: 15 November 2022
Are online pornography and sexual violence related in any way? This is a question that many ask themselves, but the answer is unknown. Yes, there is a direct link between these two worlds, and this correlation is particularly reflected in the adolescent population.
There is a profoundly interesting aspect, which is that few areas have such a bad reputation as pornography. If we are in the company of our friends, few of them will comment positively on this reality.
However, in private life and in the depths of one's own home, there are hundreds of millions of consumers of this audiovisual product.
It does not require an investment of money, is easily accessible, and no one can testify that we have surfed platforms dedicated to pornography.
This accessibility and proximity to this apparently harmless material is actually leaving a profound mark on our society. Being a porn voyeur has its consequences, but today there is still not enough talk of it.
How do you explain the correlation between online pornography and sexual violence?
As if easy accessibility to online pornography wasn't enough, virtual reality has recently been introduced. All of a sudden we have the opportunity to pass from mere observers to real protagonists.
If there is, therefore, an aspect related to this phenomenon that we are witnessing is that instead of being regulated and rather than facing a limitation to consumption, it is becoming increasingly refined.
All this serves to create real addicts and to arouse a growing curiosity in adolescents. Despite the above, some people may not notice any relationship between online pornography and sexual assault.
Some might say that what we see is one thing, what we do in everyday life is another. Yet, the reality is before our eyes: several scientific studies tell us about the unwanted effects of online pornography.
Countries like the UK have emphasized the need to campaign against pornography, as well as against tobacco and drugs. Let's find out why.
Courtship among adolescents and violent relationships
In 2022 a study conducted by the Universities of Denver, Northeastern and Brown focused on the relationship between online pornography and sexual violence. During the study, a constant emerged: adolescents imitate the violent practices they witness through access to pornographic platforms.
- All this also coincides with what Save de Children denounced, according to which 54,9% of adolescents say they want to put into practice what is seen in these pages.
- Discrimination of girls is common in teenage courtship. On the contrary, it is possible to observe how often in young people between 15 and 16 years sexist behaviors are already emerging from boys and that girls accept as normal.
- Furthermore, there is another aspect that emerges strongly, and that is that condoms are rarely used in this material. Such a thing often encourages unprotected sex, resulting in unwanted pregnancies and / or sexually transmitted diseases.
On the other hand there is a no less dangerous aspect: the ease of access to pornographic material online (voluntarily and even unintentionally) allows children to come into contact with these contents more and more precociously (Schick, Calabrese, Ruma e Zucker, 2010).
The mainstream of pornography and unreality in relationships
The term mainstream indicates the current of thought or the predominant trend. Easier access to the internet and the technological revolution are causing adolescents - as well as adults - to completely blur the lines between what is real and what is virtual. This means that we perceive, feel and conceive of sex in a distorted way.
Many people assume that what they see on porn sites is the rule, that it is what is expected of them in the sexual and relational sphere. What consequences can all this lead to? In fact, many implications come into play:
- The link between online pornography and sexual violence often shows itself in the beliefs and desires expressed by many people. In pornography, desire coexists, domination and violence, which result in the exclusion from relationships of aspects such as empathy.
- Then there is another worrying aspect and it is the role that porn attributes to women: a position of total subordination to men. What matters is to satisfy the male desire, so as to be transformed into pure instruments of pleasure.
- On the other hand, it must also be said that pornography resembles cinema: not everything is real. In these contents there is an abundance of perfect bodies, which feed really dangerous stereotypes. The passivity of women, the uncomfortable and acrobatic positions, but, above all, the absence of emotions, affection and feeling during sexual intercourse makes porn highly dangerous.
The correlation between online pornography and sexual violence depends on an increasingly distorted education
Sex education given in school is not always the most suitable nor the most complete. As we know, then, teenagers have their own way of learning about the world of sex through mobile phones.
Early access, at 9, 10, or 0 years of age encourages the birth of expectations or the normalization of some scenes that do not matchll 'real intimacy, because they can be unpleasant or uncomfortable for the other person.
Everything that happens in the world of pornography is the result of a written script, while in real sexual relations, out of the spotlight, this is not the case.
In short, we are leaving the education of our children in the hands of the world of technology and this happens because there are no filters, nor clear legislation, which limits access to this content.
The most troubling aspect is that the internet progresses much faster than the mechanisms that regulate it. We often arrive late, and on this subject we come out of a defeated society.
