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Aliyah Baker

English 1201-121

Dr. Cassel

04/15/19

What role do pornographic films have in the sex education of young people?

When I was about 9 years old I received my first laptop as a gift from my dad. It was his

old laptop, but it still beat any other gift I could have gotten. I finally didn’t have to share the

family computer downstairs and could stay in the comfort of my room. I began doing the basic

things a child would use their computer for, playing games, looking at clothes and things I liked.

One day I remembered anime I watched on T.V when I was younger and decided to see if I could

look that up online and low and behold, I found it. With this discovery, I also found out what pop

up ads were. The kind that pop up on pirating websites that upload content from a different

country. They were quite sexually explicit, photos of naked women proclaiming they are

“waiting for singles like me” and this only ignited my curiosity for what they were advertising.

At this point in my life I had no sex education and my parents had never really mentioned

anything about it to me, the only things I knew were that girls had periods and wore

pads/tampons and guys wore condoms for something. I knew if my parents knew I was getting

on sites that advertised this type of content they would be furious, but at the same time my

curiosity for the unknown lead me to investigate it. I began with searching for people kissing on

YouTube, since I had never had a kiss that wasn’t my parents I figured this was a good place to

start. I eventually looked at girls kissing specifically since I never heard of the concept of lesbian

and began following the pop-up ad sites on my anime webpages to links that sometimes were
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duds and others that weren’t. It’s safe to say that I found what I was looking for, a porn site

called Brazzers is where I ended up. I saw many things on that site that only increased my

curiosity to learn more, many of these things included the “hardcore” porn and “BDSM” that

deeply confused me. Flash forward and now I’m an adult that understands these concepts, but

now that there have been public outcries about the dangers of pornography I catch myself

wondering if looking up porn all those years ago really did affect me even if I don’t realize it

now.

Everyone has their opinions on the taboo topic of pornography. There are so many

discussions revolving around pornography that it’s possible to lose track of what even the

conversation originally started as. Pornography is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as,

“the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement.”

Being sexually explicit means about the same and can be interchangeable with pornography,

defined by Baker as “including websites that either describe people having sex, show clear

images of graphic nudity or people engaging in sex acts, or have video or audio content of people

engaging in sex acts (214). The porn industry has a long history of being targeted by the public

for the content that they produce. A monumental case that affected the way we can judge

sexually explicit content, what exactly is obscene, for decades was the Miller v. California case.

The iconic case is where the courts decided what the legal definition of obscenity is and the 3

criteria material must meet to be considered obscene: (1) “the average person, applying

contemporary community standards, finds that the material as a whole appeals to prurient interest

(that is, incites lust); (2) the material depicts or describes sexual conduct in a patently offensive

way; and (3) the material as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value”

(Campbell 446). After this case, a case against a work for being obscene has been rare because
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the 3 criteria are almost impossible to code. How do you measure the average person or what the

current social standards are or widely offensive ideas? These are ideas that can’t be measured

accurately when trying to claim a material is offensive. This ruling is an example of our extreme

position on freedom of speech as Americans and even though time and time again the porn

industry is under a microscope we still can’t find valid reason to ban it. If the regulation of the

distribution of porn were to be highly monitored instead of being left alone to be self-ran the

chances of pirated porn would drastically lower.

Pornography is exclusively adult entertainment and is not produced with minor viewers

in mind, but with the age of the internet that has changed. Minors can access content they

wouldn’t otherwise be able to and has shown results that it affects the way we learn about sex.

Porn plays a pivotal role in children’s lives instead of combating with the industry as adults we

should work together to educate children on the difference between sex education and

pornography. The age at which children are exposed to sex or pornography has drastically

lowered over the rise of the internet. A study in Great Britain resulted in approximately 83% of

households reporting that they have access to internet and that the average age that children first

access the internet is 8 (Baker 214). A research study was conducted in Iceland that concluded

that the average age of children in Iceland exposed to pornography is age 11 and in many cases

to violent porn (Gunnarsdottir 2). With the rise in popularity among children using portable

internet accessible devices and being inherently tech savvy, this makes it a lot harder for parents

to monitor what their children are viewing. Most children access the internet in their bedroom

without an adult present at about 40% (Baker 214). The probability that a child will reach

adulthood without seeing porn is close to 0. Many children turn to porn as a “how-to” guide or a

projection of how sexual acts should play out and can be dramatically affected by it. An example
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of this is how there have been reported cases of teenage boys re-enacting pornographic sexual

acts on their younger siblings (Gunnarsdottir 2). The problem of minors imitating pornographic

films lies within the internal desire children have that makes them want to imitate adults that they

respect, admire, or even just think is cool.

The rise of the internet and portable devices has granted minors more privacy, the

research Baker presents shows that not many teenagers claim they are as affected by porn as

expected. A survey was conducted with a total of 218 young people, 173 young women, 45

young men, and 23 members of staff (15 female, 8 male) took part in three focus groups. The

results were 65.9% of young people responded that they had seen online pornography, with boys

being 5.92 times more likely than girls (Baker 218). The staff suggesting that they think the

teenagers are viewing online pornography and that they think boys are more likely than girls.

They believe this because of how accessible online pornography is, “There’s a lot of websites

now that you can go a long way into the website without even clicking a box to say that you’re

18 or signing in or anything.” (Teacher and Head of PSHCE, female, Independent Girls’ school)

(Baker 219). When they asked young people how they felt about viewing online pornography,

the most common answer for girls (42.8%) was that it didn’t bother them. The most popular

answer for boys (37.3%) being “excited” followed by “not bothered” with 31.4%. The common

reported age of first exposure to online pornography was age 13 and more than half of boys

(83%) and girls (56%) reported first viewing online pornography at 14 years or younger with a

significant relationship to between boys and younger age at first viewing (Baker 219). About

76.8% of young people reported that they did not think that the pornographic films that they

viewed offered a realistic representation of typical sexual relationships. The reasons being that

they believe the films glamorize sex and that sex in real life involves more feelings. This
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contradicts with the research that says most minors can’t tell the difference. The staff involved

answered that they believe a young person would be able to be critical of the reality of porn

depending on their previous experiences and the explicitness of the media. This study disagrees

with Gunnarsdottir who claims that 80% of children grow up having their sexuality shaped by

violent porn. There is no study to provide backup to Gunnarsdottir claim, but they are just

accounting for violent porn, they aren’t including the other genres of porn that a minor might

have access too. They mention a bill in, Proposals for Policy Changes, being prepared with the

aim of narrowing the legal definition of pornography to encompass only violent and degrading

sexual material (Gunnarsdottir 2). This could cause problems for the porn industry because if

that definition would become the legal one then people would paint porn under a negative light

and seek to demonize the industry due to the violent films of the few, which further makes the

topic of porn taboo. On the other hand, Gunnarsdottir presents a report formed only with Iceland

results and Baker presents reports made from different countries. Baker’s study also offers valid

information, though she does not use an equal number of boys and girls to attain results and

instead used an overwhelming number of girls to boys which could possibly skew them.

Everything is about context and if you don’t have it how can you tell what is real and

what is fantasy? Context reminds people of all things they don’t see in the final product (Stoya

2). For such a simple concept it creates a huge boundary between adult and minor viewers, an

adult can think separately from the film whereas a child feels as though this is how “real sex” is

supposed to be like. Stoya explains that this context is usually stripped out when a film is pirated

and uploaded to one of the many “free tube” sites that offer material without charge (2). They

don’t require a credit card which gives easier access to minors to view their content. Other sex

workers such as Roux are quick to remind people that the porn industry isn’t about education,
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it’s about fantasy and anyone watching should be able to put what they’re seeing in context (Del

Russo, 2). When viewers have access to context, they get to see the actors and actresses

discussing they’re boundaries, talking about the scenes they are going to be in, mentioning how

they screened for STI’s and even talking about how they choose their partners, they aren’t

chosen for them. Looking at behind the scenes, or interviews before the film starts allows people

and especially children watching to understand the context of the scene they watch and that there

is a lot of work that goes into a film, they don’t just jump right into it.

Stoya, an adult performer, presents cases where the porn industry and herself have

stepped up to try to minimize porn’s potential harm to young people. The B.D.S.M focused

website, “Kink”, provided context for its sex scenes through a project called “behind Kink” with

videos that showed the scenes being planned and performers stating their limits (Stoya 2). The

films also present the concept of “aftercare” that shows the participants discussing what they’ve

done and how they feel after doing it, but unfortunately the project lost drive and eventually

stopped producing. Shine Louise House is another production company that Stoya mentions that

caters to queer pornography. They have live-streamed behind the scenes from the set, allowing

viewers to see what making a pornographic film is really like. She mentions that independent

performers and directors have taken up writing blogs or articles to discuss scenes they enjoyed or

sets that they liked, and many others have even written memoirs about their experiences has sex

workers. The viewpoint of a sexworker isn’t normally considered reliable, but in the context of

this topic her experiences and knowledge of the industry prove to be essential. In Del Russo’s

explanation of context, they include an interview they did with a sex therapist, Laurie Betito. She

has worked with Pornhub to create the sites Sexual Wellness Center which was created as a place

for people who view videos on Pornhub to receive sexual education in the context of the porn
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they were viewing (Del Russo 2). The sex workers involved even write the posts themselves,

detailing topics as wide ranging as BDSM and anatomy. Pornhub being one of the leading porn

companies in the world and one of the sites providing free content without a credit card.

Although, they are trying to make pornography content more educational there is only so much

they can do on their own. Sex workers are still adamant about remind people that porn isn’t

about education, it is about fantasy.

As it ties into context, the perspectives that people can take after viewing porn can be

quite problematic. The one that comes up most often is the view that women are submissive,

inferior, and sex objects. Research has demonstrated that both an increased frequency of

exposure to online sexually explicit media and increased explicitness of said media can enhance

the belief among young people that women are sex objects (Baker 214). How porn is distributed

plays a role in how we place women in this position. The “free tube” sites are what shape the

types of porn available to teenagers and many of those films cater to men only. One top of this,

most heterosexual porn only caters to one type of man (Stoya 2). Young women are usually

referred to as sluts, whores, bitches etc. while men are seen acting in a dominant role, degrading

and being violent towards them (Gunnarsdottir 2). An example of this would typically include a

mouth-penetration performed to choke the partner which could also produce crying or even

vomiting. While this is a type of fantasy, if that is all young people are watching it can cause

them to inherent these misogynistic views of women.

Baker offers 3 different studies that have tried to link sexual aggression to pornography.

One Swedish reports that sexual behavior of young men is influenced by pornography as they are

“inspired” by it, wanting to try out what is shown, and this may be even more relevant for

adolescents given their limited prior experiences of sex (Baker 215). In some U.S studies
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reviews, there has been raised concerned of frequent consumption of violent pornography that

may increase the likelihood of committing sexual offences and increasing sexual aggression. On

the other hand, research in Canada suggests that pornography may have the opposite effect and

minimize the likelihood of committing a sexual offence (Baker 215). A second Canadian study

explains that people who have personality traits associated with higher risk of sexual aggression

or violent behavior are more likely to be affected by the exposure to pornography (Baker 215).

None of 3 present a conclusion with the same effects and shows the complications of the viewing

nature of pornography. Stoya offers the view that yes, we do focus on the porn that is catered

towards the male gaze, but we ignore pornographers who have been creating content aimed at the

female gaze for decades. Candida Royalle founded Femme Productions in 1984 and Femme

Distribution in 1986, and Ovidie and Erika Lust have been making pornography aimed at women

for over 10 years. Although, their content is not the kind that you can find easily on any free sites

which makes the point that it’s harder for young women to find content aimed at them.

Gunnarsdottir suggests the final view that mainstream porn is becoming more violent and brutal

and is hardcore violence masked within the context of sex. The violent misogyny produced by

the porn industry has become our children’s main resource for learning what sex is about

Gunnarsdottir 2).

Common misconceptions that surface when we begin to talk about pornography as sex

education are as many as anybody would think. One that is highly debated is the suggestion that

we should play porn for students in sex education classrooms to explain what pornography is.

Two debate points that Rogers brings up are that using porn in schools to show young people

more about sex is a reasonable suggestion if it is managed properly. This means teachers

screening the material first to ensure that it is appropriate, and parents being informed to give
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their consent. Not just playing it without letting anyone know what they or their child is going to

be watching. The other debate point is that no way should porn ever be allowed into a classroom.

Schools are places where pupils should be kept safe, not put in danger. Teachers should be

warning young people about the dangers. Not making them watch it as part of a sex education

lesson (Rogers 77). Many people believe that is what researchers mean when they suggest

making porn sex education, but they are merely suggesting we make a media that is already there

educational or talking about pornography during lessons not showing it to minors.

The possibility to make porn sex educational is there, we must find the answer that

satisfied us all. One suggestion is that thee porn industry should give more context for viewers

especially those who get their porn from free sites like Pornhub is one of the more popular

answers research has come across. By creating and requiring more behind the scenes extras for

porn films even those who get their porn from pirated sites can still view the context. The draw-

back to this is that it assumes that the producers of the films have the money to cover this cost

and puts the weight of the bigger problem on the porn industry by itself. Context is a great place

to start but leaving it all up to porn companies to fulfill this is asking too much for an industry

that didn’t ask for minors to view their products. Incorporating porn into sex education lessons

and explaining the context there is even another option that could be explored. By talking to

children about the existence of porn online it will decrease the number of children using it for a

“how-to” guide. The tricky part with this suggestion is that parents have the right to give

permission to what their child might learn about in sex-ed. That isn’t a strong set-back, it just

means teachers must come up with lesson plans that would satisfy the parent and teach the child

about the risks at the same time, achievable. Even the potential to ban violent porn or porn

altogether is one of the first go to ideas on how to control the potential harm it can cause. Though
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a possibility, it is highly unlikely a ban on pornography in America will ever succeed. The limit

to freedom of speech would cause a much greater outcry than the banning of porn itself. The

legal definition of obscenity is too board for the court to accept a case against the entire

American porn industry. The last answer that appears the most compelling is the idea that we

combine the efforts of the porn industry, schools/teachers, parents and the government. If the

regulation of the distribution of porn were to be highly monitored instead of being left alone to

be self-ran the chances of pirated porn would drastically lower. As an alternative of all these

units doing separate things to help the rising problem of pornography they should combine and

talk with each other on how to combat it. The porn industry has already taken steps, but should

take even more until all companies follow the same policy of context; behind the scenes,

interviews, blogs, etc. Schools and teachers could arrange community meetings with parents in

their areas to explain that they would like to teach their children about the existence of porn and

the dangers it presents. This encourages the parents to do the same at home. Instead, of parents

pretending like their children will never view porn, they should explain what it is that their child

is going to find when they start wanting more privacy. The government could regulate porn

websites to make sure no pirated sites exist and that all porn eventually becomes content you can

only buy to see. This could infringe on adults who view porn for free, but it does nothing but

take back content that wasn’t free to begin with. Working together is the most logical option for

all parties in place of placing the responsibility on one entity to control and solve on their own.
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Works Cited

Baker, Karen Elizabeth. "Online Pornography - Should schools be teaching young people about the
risks?" Sex Education (2015): 213-228. print.

Del Russo, Maria. Would seeing more condoms in porn increase condom use in real life? 1 June 2018.
April 2019.

Gunnarsdóttir, Halla. A Legal Ban on Violent Porography Would Benefit Children and Is Not Censorship.
2014.

Richard Campbell, Chistopher R. Martin, Bettina Fabos. Media Essentials: A Brief Introduction. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin's, 2016. Print.

Rogers, Vanessa. We need to talk about Pornography. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2017. Print.

—. We Need to Talk About Pornography. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2017.

Stoya. Can There Be Good Porn? 5 March 2018.