Pornography
Pornography isn’t anyone’s idea of an exciting dinner table discussion. With the
new statistics and research however, it must be addressed. We high schoolers are the
technology generation. Our unlimited access to the World Wide Web is the exact reason we
should educate ourselves about certain dangers like pornography.
According to covenanteyes.com—a reputable internet safety and filtering research
site—93% of boys and 62% of girls are exposed to porn before the age of 18. Often
exposure is accidental—a misspelled URL, an unexpected pop-up, or a thoughtless Google
search. Regardless of the source, we, the party affected, must be aware of its danger and
consequences.
More frequently than ever, pornography is referred to as a ‘drug.’ Although one
comes in little white powder and the other from a littler white computer, research proves
that pornography and drugs such as cocaine affect the brain in similar ways. According to
fightthenewdrug.org—a non-profit organization dedicated to educating about the harm of
porn—porn and cocaine cause chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin to be released in the
users brain using a “reward pathway.” Like cocaine, once a porn user becomes accustomed
to a certain dosage or brand, they require more of the drug to get the same reaction.
Ceasing to view the new drug, the user will experience withdrawal symptoms, due to the
absence of excess “reward” chemicals, thus making pornography addictive.
Addiction to any substance creates a dependence. More than just a mental need to
be fulfilled, addiction affects behavior. Addicted users tend to isolate themselves from
loved ones—unwilling to share their problems. With no support system and no close
relationships, addiction can lead to depression, loneliness, and anxiety.
While the neurological effects are concerning, the overall consequences can be
devastating. The popular “Porn Kills Love” campaign started by the Fight the New Drug
Foundation illustrates this. In their “Porn Kills Love” article they said, “real love isn’t any more
like what happens in porn than the average Marlboro smoker is like a 6’ 9” cowboy.” The
viewing of porn further objectifies women and men, creating the delusion that a person is
exclusively just a sum of body parts. A porn addiction can be fatal to healthy relationships and
destructive to families. In Dawn M. Szymanski’s and Destin N. Stewart-Richardson’s research
study titled “Psychological, Relational, and Sexual Correlates of Pornography Use on Young
Adult Heterosexual Men in Romantic Relationships said, “Findings revealed that both frequency
of pornography use and problematic pornography use were related to greater gender role conflict,
more avoidant and anxious attachment styles, poorer relationship quality, and less sexual
satisfaction.”
However, a porn addiction isn’t necessarily the end of the line. Awareness is
increasing and so are resources. Just like any other addiction, overcoming it requires
outside help and lots of resolve, but it is possible. Fightthenewdrug.org has a variety of
options to help pornography viewers. The negative effects of pornography should not be
something we shy away from discussing. It affects us students, and we need to address the
problem.