The pervasive use of online pornography is having a negative impact on our society, reaching almost every aspect of daily life and creating an unrecognized web of harm.
Today’s mainstream pornography is not the magazine of past decades. Instead, it is primarily violent, rape-themed, incest-themed, sexist, racist and dehumanizing hardcore material. The large-scale use of hardcore pornography by millions of people, including adolescents, has significant ramifications. Studies have consistently shown that the use of pornography can impact the brain, relationships, behaviors, as well as both physical and mental health.
Numerous studies overwhelmingly point to correlations between pornography use and addiction, compulsive sexual acting out, sex buying, infidelity, pornography induced erectile dysfunction (PIED) in young men, child sexual abuse, higher rates of STDs, low self-esteem, depression and lowered sexual and relationship satisfaction in committed relationships.
As the use of pornography is increasingly normalized, it is not only adults that will be affected, but children and teenagers, as well. For adolescents in particular, pornography may lead to wide-ranging negative effects on their brain and emotional and relational development. Sadly, today adolescents use pornography at unprecedented levels and are receiving highly destructive sex miseducation. In addition, studies reveal that pornography use and addiction fuels the demand for sex-trafficked women and children.
Efforts to educate the public, prevent pornography exposure and correlated harms, and develop recovery treatment modalities necessitate the adoption of public health approaches to combat these problems. This is why we proposed this important resolution in the Senate to raise public awareness and equip individuals and families to make informed decisions when it comes to this inherently dangerous material. Similar bills have passed with nearly unanimous bipartisan support in 15 other states, and we would like to see the same happen in Alabama.
To learn more about the research concerning the harmful effects of pornography, please visit https://endsexualexploitation.org/publichealth/.
Dan Roberts represents Senate District 15, which covers parts of Jefferson and Shelby counties
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