Youth and Porn Resource Kit1.2 Potential Porn Impacts
1.2
Potential Porn Impacts, Protective Factors, and Vulnerabilities
This resource will help improve your understanding and knowledge of the potential impacts of porn, vulnerabilities and protective factors.
Gender attitudes and sexual expectations
Risky sexual behaviours
Aggressive sexual attitudes and behaviours
Mental Health issues
Sexual health and wellbeing issues
Vulnerabilities — Are some young people more vulnerable than others?
Protective factors
When understanding potential porn-related impacts, it is important to note the following:
- There are multiple other complex factors (e.g., existing sexist attitudes, rigid ideas about masculinity, misogynistic attitudes) that can contribute to the impacts detailed in this resource, and more research is needed to fully understand the role porn plays.
- The likelihood of impact varies greatly amongst young people and is dependent on factors such as the frequency and duration of usage, content type, age of user, sexual experience, and whether porn is viewed as a ‘realistic’ template for sex.
- Academic literature on the potential impact of porn is commonly based on ‘associations’ with porn use and does not indicate causation. Some scholars also note that porn may function as a ‘behaviour accelerator’.
- Young people’s experiences with porn vary significantly and some young people may be more vulnerable to its impact than others.
- Some young people note positive outcomes related to their porn use. This resource, however, simply details potential negative impacts that may be raised or identified by young people in a health workplace, where care and support is required.
WHAT is this resource?
This resource summarises research findings on the potential impacts associated with porn, protective factors, and vulnerable groups of young people.
WHEN and HOW do we use this?
This is a reference resource to help you build wider knowledge around the potential impacts of porn and improve your understanding of protective factors.
“The vast majority of young people agree that porn can influence people’s behaviour and attitudes. They’re much more likely to think these influences are negative. Common themes were that porn promotes false expectations and unhealthy views about sex and relationships, and that it normalises violence and aggressive behaviour.
Some young people find it hard to manage their use of porn. But it’s not black and white – a majority of teens think that porn has some positive influences as well. For example, some talked about its usefulness as a learning tool.”
NZ Youth and Porn, 2018