“Without Porn … I Wouldn't Know Half the Things I Know Now”: A Qualitative Study of Pornography Use Among a Sample of Urban, Low-Income, Black and Hispanic Youth

Abstract

Information about pornography-viewing habits of urban, low income, youth of color in the U.S. is lacking. This study was designed to answer the following using a sample of 16-18 year old urban-residing, low income, Black or Hispanic youth: (1) What types of pornography do youth report watching, where, and for what purpose?; (2) Do youth feel that pornography exposure has an impact on their own sexual behaviors?; and (3) How do parents react to their pornography use? The following themes emerged from interviews with 23 youth: (a) Youth primarily reported watching pornography that featured one-on-one sexual intercourse, but also reported having seen extreme pornography (e.g., public humiliation, incest); (b) youth reported watching pornography on home computers or smartphones, and that pornography was frequently watched in school; (c) youth reported watching for entertainment, for sexual stimulation, instructional purposes, and to alleviate boredom; many copied what they saw in pornography during their own sexual encounters; (d) pressure to make or to imitate pornography was an element of some unhealthy dating relationships; and (e) parents were generally described as unsupportive of youths’ use of pornography, but under-equipped to discuss it. Approximately one-fifth expressed a prefererence for pornography featuring actors of their same race/ethnicity.

Pornography, Sexual Coercion and Abuse and Sexting in Young People’s Intimate Relationships: A European Study

“…Other research has found that, when asked directly, adolescents, particularly boys, normalise their viewing of pornography and report positive benefits including access to information about sexual performance and sexual stimulation (Rothman et al, 2014;Lofgren-Mårtenson and Månsson, 2010). However, while boys might focus on the benefits, this research identified a clear association between regular viewing of online pornography and perpetration of sexual coercion and abuse by boys.…”

“…While some researchers and young people themselves have argued that viewing pornography offers an approach to learning about sex that assists their own sexual performance and that this is not addressed by formal sex education (Rothman et al, 2014;Smith, 2013), pornography's value as a tool for sex education is undermined by its sexism and misogyny which have the potential to inform sexually coercive and abusive behaviour in young men. Whilst most young people described their experience of sexting as affirmative, there was also some evidence from interviews with young people who had experienced IPVA that sexual images and messages could be used to inflict humiliation and control in ways that reproduced the values of pornography.…”

“…Studies have struggled to keep pace with technological developments and while there is now a developing body of research that addresses the role of mobile phones and social media in interpersonal abuse (Dake et al, 2012;Rice et al, 2012;Ringrose et al, 2012;Zweig et al, 2013) there is little that examines how and whether this form of abuse might be associated with use of pornography. The media through which pornography are delivered and consumed have also changed rapidly with mobile phones now playing a significant role so that young people can watch pornography in school and other public places as well as in the more private setting of the home or bedroom (Rothman et al, 2014). Again, research has only recently begun to address this increasing normalisation of pornography and its impact on young people's relationships.…”

Antecedents of adolescents’ exposure to different types of sexually explicit Internet material: A longitudinal study

“…One possibility to address this unexpected finding is to pay more attention to the motives for using specific types of SEIM, especially sexual curiosity. Arguably, girls use SEIM more out of curiosity (Koukounas & McCabe, 1997;Wallmyr & Welin, 2006) and may therefore particularly search for less mainstream content (Rothman, Kaczmarsky, Burke, Jansen, & Baughman, 2014). In this context, scholars have more generally highlighted that when girls (do) use sexual media content, curiosity is an important reason (Goodson, McCormick, & Evans, 2001;Hawk, Vanwesenbeeck, De Graaf, & Bakker, 2006;Koukounas & McCabe, 1997).…”

Young Australians' use of pornography and associations with sexual risk behaviours

“…There is a growing body of literature describing the potential impact of pornography on sexual health, sexual behaviour and mental health 10 . Young people have reported using pornography as a form of sexual education, such as incorporating pornography‐inspired practices into their real life sexual experiences 11,12 . For example, qualitative research indicates that some young women feel pressured to engage in anal intercourse, which is depicted in 15–32% of pornographic scenes with heterosexual encounters, 8,9 and many attribute this pressure to their male partners' pornography use 13 .…”