The Many Harmful Effects of Porn
Study after study has shown many negative, even harmful, effects of porn consumption. From causing anxiety for the viewer to increasing the likelihood of having a violent sexual encounter in the most extreme cases, and even having a well-connected link to the global sex trade, pornography isn’t as harmless as it seems.
This is why organizations such as Fight the New Drug–a non-legislative, non-religious organization–and others work tirelessly to utilize scientific facts and personal accounts to educate others on the truth behind the porn industry. The goal of most of this organization is not to ban already legal forms of porn. The goal is to inform on the harmful effects that consuming porn can have on individuals, their relationships with others, and the global society as a whole.
With this information, people can choose for themselves whether or not watching porn is worth the potential negative impacts on their lives and relationships
How Porn Harms the Consumer
Every time a consumer clicks on porn, they are putting themselves at risk of experiencing a range of negative feelings about themselves. Anxiety, compulsiveness, and low self-esteem are common side-effects that many people experience after the quickly fleeting rush of dopamine wears off.
Here’s a closer look at what happens when someone clicks on porn, especially to escape negative feelings in life.
Porn Can Cause Anxiety, Stress, and Loneliness
Although many consumers claim to use porn as a way to relax and destress, it can actually cause significant anxiety and stress. This is especially true when consumers feel the need to conceal their habit. When viewed secretly, porn tends to leave behind feelings of embarrassment, guilt, and shame, along with high levels of nervousness of being “found out.”
Further, once they’ve clicked away from a porn site after viewing, the consumer may have overwhelming feelings of loneliness. Rather than sharing a special and exciting intimate moment with someone else, the consumer is alone and without human contact or connection. Combine such an experience with the sudden drop-off of dopamine, and depressive feelings can easily take hold.
Porn Contributes to Poor Body Image and Low Self-Esteem
Porn depicts individuals as nothing more than objects used solely for sexual fulfillment. Performers are often idealized versions of people who are made to look “perfect” on screen in mainstream productions. Their flawless physical appearance as well as their hyper-sexualized performance can make consumers feel bad about themselves for not being able to live up to such high expectations.
Inevitably, poor body image and low self-esteem creep in and take hold of men and women alike. Porn’s unrealistic expectations can sometimes eventually lead to consumers viewing themselves as nothing more than an object to be used for others’ sexual fulfillment.
Porn Sites Let Third-Parties Collect Your Data
It may not seem as personal as some of the other harmful effects listed here, but it’s still important to know that individuals are being tracked and their information collected almost every time they search for porn. This is the case even while browsing in private or incognito mode. Porn sites let cookies from other third-party companies (such as Google, Facebook, and Oracle) gather your data and analyze it.
The is harmful if you want your personal information–including gender, sexual identities, specific sexual characteristics, etc.–to be kept private. Such data leakage can lead to discrimination or exploitation, especially for individuals who are labeled as “non-normative.”
How Porn Harms Relationships
Since their culture and personal experiences inform a person’s sexual tastes, you can begin to understand how consuming pornography can have a negative, unrealistic effect on real-world relationships, both romantic and platonic.
Porn Sets Unrealistic Expectations
Porn is a terrible sex educator, so seeing on-screen sexual acts sets someone or a couple up for disappointment. Porn shows a fantasy world where partners are always willing to fulfill another’s sexual desires no matter how painful or degrading, excited to do anything for pleasure, and expected to put on an exhilarating performance every time. This portrayal is a false narrative that looks nothing like a real-world, healthy sexual relationship.
Porn Diminishes Sexual Satisfaction
Because of the unrealistic and unhealthy expectations that porn exhibits, a porn consumer’s sexual satisfaction in real life can be diminished by comparison. Both partners may be less happy with their own and the other’s physical looks or sexual performance. This can seriously dampen the mood and actually lessen sexual fulfillment.
Porn Escalates Extreme Behavior
Many consumers find, unnervingly, that their own sexual interests and behaviors tend to escalate the more they watch porn. To become aroused and maintain arousal, the person may find themselves wanting more variety and more extreme forms of sex on screen. Over time, this can lead to violent sexual acts–consensual or nonconsensual–becoming more and more acceptable and necessary to view in order to achieve desired dopamine levels.
How Porn Harms Society
Porn’s harmful effects don’t just stay in the bedroom. With a direct link to sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, and sex trafficking, porn isn’t as innocent a hobby as many people are led to believe.
Porn Is Often Sexual Exploitation
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines sexual exploitation as actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including monetarily. This definition “also includes sexual relations with a child, in any context, defined as a human being below the age of 18 years.”
Since porn can be filmed by force, coercion, or without consent, a considerable amount of what is shown online can be considered sexual exploitation. Also, the porn industry has no problem capitalizing on offensive, racist, or degrading stereotypes in mainstream content. This can be especially true and harmful for those who are marginalized such as Black men and women as well as those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Porn Depicts Sexual Abuse
A lot of porn content depicts situations where sexual abuse occurs. This “normalization” of manipulation and violence can sometimes influence how people treat their sexual partners, especially when this abuse is presented as the sexy “ideal.” Additionally, there is a substantial amount of child sex abuse happening online. Supporting an industry that allows this criminal behavior to be shown and shared is not in the best interest of any society.
Porn Fuels Sex Trafficking
Yes, porn even fuels the sex trafficking trade. Sex trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery that uses forced, defrauded or coerced individuals in commercial sex performances. The unfortunate truth is that it is nearly impossible to distinguish between consensual porn and nonconsensual porn, especially given the prevalence of fetishized rape and abuse porn where those in the video are shown as being distressed.
While not all porn is performed by victims of sex trafficking, some certainly is and it’s nearly impossible to decipher which. Plus, the insatiable demand for porn increases the value of trafficked individuals around the world with the purpose of being sexually exploited.
And remember, sex trafficking doesn’t just happen when someone is taken across a border against their will. It happens any time someone is forced, defrauded, or coerced into doing anything sexual for the monetary benefit of others. That means it can be (and likely is) happening right in your neighborhood. This also means it can and does happen to even professional, established porn performers.
The next time you consider browsing for an explicit website, just remember this long list of pornography’s harmful effects. For you, your relationships, and your community, choose not to click. You deserve better than what porn has to offer.
