Porn: satisfying urges or inciting violence?
The increased availability of the internet, access to smartphones and the ever improving network speeds and data allowance has been an incredible drive in the past 20 years, allowing for a development in communication and technology.
It is therefore unsurprising that the amount of porn being accessed is at its highest in over 12 years, especially given the rise in websites, apps and communication technology. Whilst this in itself is not an issue, the widespread availability of porn – primarily violent porn – and the impact it can have on men, especially younger men has been found to lead to harmful attitudes towards women.
The issues caused by porn are not exclusive to adult men nor just to harm against women but a significant amount of literature and studies focus on the legal yet harmful sexual behaviours and attitudes towards women.
Why is it a problem?
A literature review by the Government Equalities Office identified four distinct areas of harmful sexual attitudes and behaviours associated with the use of pornography;
- Objectification of women
Research has shown that a majority of porn found on the leading commercial streaming websites – including the most popular and watched porn – depicts sexual violence and physical aggression principally by males towards women.
Through frequently being exposed to this behaviour, arguably men are not only desensitised to the violence but it can also serve to dehumanise women and lead to them being viewed purely as sex objects. The implication of this is that it can lead to some men assuming that women enjoy being taken advantage of and being there purely for male pleasure. It can also lead to attitudes supporting violence against women.
- Pornography shaping men’s sexual expectations of women
Frequent exposure to porn depicting women enjoying certain sexual acts – including being the subject of violent porn – can shape men’s expectations of real life sexual encounters. They may think that women expect and enjoy violent sex and therefore should be objectified into doing so. This can be dangerous, especially for younger males who may base their sexual experience purely on what they have viewed online and feel they need to encourage their partner to act in a certain way. This can lead to non-consensual sexual violence.
Frequent viewing of porn depicting the objectification of women or violence may also imply there is a sexual ‘norm’ leading to partners being dissatisfied with the other if they are not able to fulfil this role. It could lead to feelings of sexual incompetency, potential infidelity and make it harder for healthy sexual relationships with consent and boundaries (for a comical understanding of this – I would recommend watching the film Don Jon).
The stereotypical image of females in porn – voluptuous, small waisted and subservient – creates an unrealistic expectation of women and can also lead to partners being dissatisfied as well as women feeling inadequate.
3&4 Propensity to sexual aggression and perpetration of sexual aggression
Watching porn does not mean you will go out and commit a criminal sexual act. There is, however, an increase in the likelihood of someone committing verbal or physical acts of sexual aggression. It can also lead to an increased likelihood of someone not intervening in sexual violence for example if they see someone else perpetrating it.
Porn portrays men as the ones with power – this is more so in content victimising women in places such as work, schools and hospitals. There is porn in which those with power use it to exploit younger girls – for example scenes of security guards taking advantage of girls who have done something wrong and are in a helpless position, such as stealing from a shop. The danger is that this can be replicated and the victim may be too vulnerable to prevent it from happening.
Through frequent viewing of porn – especially violent porn – the brain is rewired as to what you find arousing and what you expect from sexual intimacy. This can lead to needing more and more extreme content to be satisfied. There is a controversial argument that porn prevents sexual crime because perpetrators can get their satisfaction online rather than conducting it themselves. However, I think there should be more regulations in place to prevent the easy access to this content.
What can we do to change attitudes and promote healthy sexual relationships?
I am not condemning porn and nor is the research surrounding this topic. Instead, I am highlighting the need for education and awareness about the impact porn can have in normalising sexual violence. There is a need for raising awareness of this issue, especially with younger people, so that the focus can be on healthy relationships instead of the toxic narratives porn can display. Any act of violence or unwanted sexual activity can result in both physical and mental harm so there needs to be an understanding that sexual violence is not always part of sexual pleasure.
There should be more regulation of extreme or violent porn, which is teetering on the edge of being legal, as well as more awareness of porn through education whether it be by parents or in schools.
Porn is inevitably here to stay. Sex education should therefore include supporting young people to learn about the use of pornography so they are less likely to see women as sex objects. Consent should be the central focus of such education so that people do not merge what they see online with real life relationships.
