Does online pornography influence the sexuality of adolescents during COVID-19?

Sexual Activity in Adolescents and Young Adults through COVID-19 Pandemic

“…As a result, sexual activity, intimate relationships, access to contraception, protection from HIV, or other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and physical, mental, or emotional well-being were adversely affected [ 7 , 8 ]. The social distancing that was imposed consequently led to the restriction of contacts between individuals, and therefore has affected the frequency of sexual activity, number of sexual partners, sexual desire and satisfaction, and the use of pornographic content [ 9 ]. According to the available literature, all these consequences seem to concern mainly younger individuals, such as adolescents and young adults [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

“…The social distancing that was imposed consequently led to the restriction of contacts between individuals, and therefore has affected the frequency of sexual activity, number of sexual partners, sexual desire and satisfaction, and the use of pornographic content [ 9 ]. According to the available literature, all these consequences seem to concern mainly younger individuals, such as adolescents and young adults [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

“…The sexual life and activity of the above-mentioned age groups plays an important role in forming healthy sexual relationships and expressing their sexuality [ 8 , 9 ]. Sexuality constitutes a meaningful aspect of human development.…”

Young Adults’ Qualitative Self-Reports of Their Outcomes of Online Sexual Activities

“…Indeed, the world is rapidly evolving in relation to people’s use of the internet for OSAs. For example, researchers have suggested that the current COVID-19 pandemic may have changed people’s prevalence and patterns of OSA use—at least in the short-term [ 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Third, the written responses provided by our participants varied in detail, most being relatively concise.…”

Social Isolation in Times of COVID-19: Effects on Adolescents' Mental Health

“…Also worthy of mention are the results of other studies that sought to identify factors that were related to the increased emotional vulnerability of adolescents subjected to this current reality of isolation. Behavioral changes such as disorganized sleep and wake patterns 3 , altered eating habits [31], decreased physical activity, physical inactivity, increased screen time with greater exposure to inappropriate content and subject to harassment and bullying, in addition to differences between family members and domestic violence constitute a large set of factors that certainly interfere with the adequate emotional development of adolescents [32,33]. In addition to behavioral aspects, it is important to highlight that female adolescents, those who showed greater sensitivity and emotionality, residents in urban regions and cities with high rates of disease incidence were also identified as being more subject to negative interference in their emotional development [8,21].…”