Youth and Porn Resource Kit
3. Responding

3.3 Practical Case Studies

Case Study 3.
Chun: ‘Evolving porn usage’
Chun (21 yrs) started watching porn as a teenager as it helped him feel better when he was struggling with depression. Recently, he’s found himself seeking more ‘extreme and/or illegal’ porn and is concerned. He finds other porn doesn’t arouse him anymore and has struggled to cut down his usage.

1: Validate and normalise

Some young people, particularly those who have watched porn for a long time, can find themselves seeking more extreme and/or aggressive content in porn, or over time, needing greater novelty in porn to get aroused. Discussing the shift in porn-seeking behaviours that can occur with time, can help offer insight and open up the conversation.

2: Assess

Assess the degree of harm and risk to self or others. Use a sensitive and curious approach to minimise shame and affirm Chun for disclosing his experience. Questions could include:
  • Tell me what worries you most about what you are watching?
  • Would you like to share anything about the type of porn you are watching and your concerns?
  • How does what you watch impact your real-life sex or fantasies?
  • Have you wanted to try anything you’ve seen in porn in real life?

It may help to enquire about Chun’s previous history of depression or past sexual experiences, as seeking aggressive porn can sometimes occur following sexual trauma.

Note: It is important that any discussions relating to the porn content and the young person’s concerns are conducted within a health professional’s own scope of practice. Consider referral to specialist service, such as Wellstop, SAFE or STOP.

3: Build critical thinking and porn literacy

Discuss how Chun feels about the content he is watching and how that may be impacting him. Explore how watching extreme content and/or having porn-related fantasies may negatively shape real-life sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours, and how critical thinking around the content can mitigate some of this risk.

Questions could include:

  • How do you feel about the content you see in porn?
  • How does it sit with your own views and ideas about sex, gender, consent, and violence?
  • What would healthy porn use and/or a healthy sex life look like for you? And how can you get there?

Note: Watching increasingly violent content can lead to confusion and/or concern surrounding being drawn to aggressive content, as well as shame, and decreased empathy due to dissociation.

4: Support and refer

Support and guidance should be provided to minimise harm to self and others. This may include support for cutting down on porn usage through apps found Here, discouraging substance use before/during sexual encounters, and referral to counsellors or to specialist services found Here.

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