Conversations about how young people interact with media have taken on new urgency, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like pornography. A study published in The Journal of Sex Research offers some important insights into how teenagers’ experiences with and views on pornography have changed over time. Conducted in Sweden, the study compares data from two groups of high school students: one surveyed in 2004 and another in 2020–2021. It explores how technological advances and cultural shifts have influenced adolescents’ encounters with pornography and what that means for the future.
One of the key findings of the study is that both boys and girls are using pornography more frequently than before. This is largely due to the near-universal availability of online content through smartphones and other personal devices. The proportion of girls who reported using pornography rose significantly, from 2% in 2004 to 19% in 2020-21. Boys have always had higher rates of usage, but they too showed an increase in frequent consumption, with many reporting daily or weekly use. This shift suggests that barriers to accessing and engaging with such content have diminished for both genders.
Dr. Meghan Donevan, one of the study’s lead researchers, explains, “The rise in frequency of use among both boys and girls likely reflects broader societal changes, where accessing sexually explicit material is now easier and less stigmatized than in the past.” This is a critical point because it indicates that the normalization of pornography in society, coupled with technological advances, has changed how young people perceive and use it.
However, they didn’t just focus on how often adolescents are engaging with pornography; it also looked at how they feel about it. There are notable changes in their emotional and cognitive reactions over the years. Boys, who traditionally reported feeling more arousal and excitement from viewing pornography showed a decrease in these reactions. By 2020-21, fewer boys felt that pornography “turned them on” or was exciting. Researchers suggest that this might be a sign of desensitization, where repeated exposure makes the content less stimulating over time.
Meanwhile, girls in the study reported fewer negative emotional responses, like feeling disgusted or upset. In 2004, over 50% of girls described feeling repelled by pornography, but by 2020–21, this number had dropped significantly. This change might indicate that as pornography has become more embedded in everyday culture, girls have also become more accustomed to it, even if they don’t necessarily endorse it. Yet, many girls still maintained a critical stance, with a majority viewing it as degrading to women. This perspective aligns with broader conversations around gender dynamics and representation in media.
Despite these shifts in emotional responses, both boys and girls seem to have become more critical of the potential impacts of pornography. Adolescents in the 2020–21 cohort expressed skepticism about pornography’s supposed benefits, such as improving sexual knowledge or enhancing relationships. Instead, they seemed more aware of its potentially harmful aspects. For instance, when asked if they believed that pornography could be a good way to learn about sex, many respondents, especially girls, were doubtful.
This growing critique is a positive development, according to experts like Dr. Åsa Landberg, another researcher involved in the study. She notes, “While many teenagers today accept that pornography is widely used, they are increasingly aware that it doesn’t necessarily represent healthy or realistic relationships. This awareness is crucial for developing more balanced attitudes toward sexuality.” Essentially, while young people might be more exposed to explicit content, they are not blindly accepting its messages.
The study also highlighted a narrowing gender gap in how teenagers perceive pornography. In the past, boys and girls had starkly different reactions. Boys tended to describe it as arousing, while girls often found it upsetting. But by 2020–21, these differences had diminished. Boys had become less likely to imitate the behaviors they saw in pornography, while girls were less likely to be shocked or distressed by it. This convergence suggests that, for better or worse, the ubiquity of sexual content has made these experiences more uniform across genders.
The implications of these findings are significant. For one, they emphasize the need for comprehensive sex education that goes beyond simply warning against the dangers of pornography. Instead, education programs should help young people critically analyze what they see online, recognizing the difference between entertainment and reality. The study’s findings suggest that teenagers are already developing more nuanced views on their own, but guided discussions in schools could further support this process.
Moreover, the study draws attention to the importance of addressing gender-specific pressures and experiences when discussing pornography with young people. Even though the gap in reactions between boys and girls has narrowed, gender still plays a role in shaping how adolescents interpret and internalize what they see. Girls, for example, are more likely to recognize issues of exploitation in the pornography industry. Integrating these perspectives into discussions could help challenge stereotypes and promote more respectful attitudes toward each other.
As Dr. Donevan notes, “Increased awareness about the realities of pornography’s content could encourage young people to seek out healthier and more respectful representations of sexuality.” This shift could be vital in helping the next generation navigate their relationships in a world where sexualized media is almost impossible to avoid.
For more, visit: https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2024.2408269
