The Effects of Pornography on Youth

Historically, moral panics have often centered the possible impact of media on youth. It is not easy to disentangle the effects of sexual media in general from the effects of sexually explicit media on youth. However, this chapter argues that the bulk of the evidence on the influence of mainstream online pornography on youth suggests that there is, on average, a negative effect and that there may be particular reasons for concern in the absence of comprehensive sex education. The chapter provides statistical information on the prevalence of pornography use by youth, the age of first exposure, and sexting, as well as evidence-based information about risk factors for, and consequences of, use. The chapter argues that public health professionals need to safeguard underage youth from the potential harms of pornography while pushing back on nonscientific claims about its effects and promoting a sex-positive perspective on sex simultaneously.

Casual Condomless Sex, Range of Pornography Exposure, and Perceived Pornography Realism

Pornography consumption is becoming more prevalent and may be a source of sexual learning for some users. Because popular male-female pornography rarely includes condoms, communication researchers have hypothesized that pornography use increases the likelihood of condomless sex in mixed sex encounters. A recent meta-analysis supported this prediction, but was unable to report on psychological moderators of the association due to a dearth of contingency-oriented research. The present study reports findings on U.S. adults’ exposure to pornography, perceptions of pornography’s realism, and casual condomless sex. Despite theory positing that realism perceptions moderate the relationship between sexual media use and sexual behavior, very few studies have tested pornography exposure x perceived realism interactions in general, and no previous inquiry appears to have tested this interaction in the context of pornography exposure and condom use. Results indicated that a higher range of exposure was associated with a higher likelihood of condomless sex when perceptions of pornography’s realism were high. Conversely, when perceptions of pornography’s realism were low, range of exposure was unrelated to the likelihood of condomless sex. These results were not moderated by age or gender. These findings are part of a growing literature suggesting the importance of media literacy education directed specifically at pornography.

Development and Validation of the Adolescent Sexting Scale (A-SextS) with a Spanish Sample

“Sexting” is generally defined as the exchange of sexual media content via the internet. However, research on this topic has underscored the need to seek greater consensus when considering different conceptual elements that make up this definition. The aim of this study was to develop and validate an instrument for measuring sexting among adolescents, in order to cover a gap identified in the previous literature. The Adolescent Sexting Scale (A-SextS for short) was developed for validation on a sample of 579 Spanish secondary school pupils between the ages of 11 and 18. Evidence for face, content, concurrent, and criterion validity were assessed. A comprehensive set of 64 items, covering six defining characteristics of sexting (e.g., actions, recipient, media format, degree of sexual explicitness), was constructed after conducting an extensive literature review, two discussion groups, and a pilot study. Sexting prevalence rates measured by A-SextS were mostly concurrent with those found in previous studies. A-SextS subscales produced statistically significant positive associations with pornography consumption and physical sexual intercourse. The study shows that A-SextS can be an integrating instrument that facilitates a rigorous and comprehensive assessment of adolescent sexting experiences, as well as the formulation of an operationalized definition of the practice of sexting.

"MAY THE SHAME BE WITH YOU. ALWAYS." MITIGATING YOUNG PEOPLE'S INTIMATE EXCHANGES ONLINE

Cultural anxiety about the impact of young people's intimate exchanges online has increased over the past 15 years. Sexual media and 'digital intimacies' are routinely understood to be a source of harm and adverse outcomes. This paper engages with Finland's National Bureau of Investigation's $2 video campaign, the Police of Finland's public announcements on 'teen sexting' between 2017–2019 and young Finns responses to such educational efforts by using data from $2 study that is a part of a more significant research project on intimacy in data-driven culture in Finland. My research interest lies with some of the disconnections between current educational and policy discourses addressing young people's participation in digital cultures, and the lived experiences of young Finns. By asking from a focus-group of young Finns aged 15–19-years-old how they and their peers experience digital intimacy and their perceptions of the benefits, possible risks and harms, mitigations and solutions, I can draw a more ethical yet a complex picture of young people's engagement with digital intimacies. I call for a focus on the political, ethical and material implications of such educational efforts and policy responses that premises on digital abstinence to critically reflect on the question of young people's (sexual) rights in digital environments. The University of Turku ethics board has approved the research design and the uses of all the research datasets.

Sexual Media Exposure and its Effects on the Academic Engagement of First Year College Students

Sexual Media Exposure and its Effects on the Academic Engagement of First Year College Students Sarika Joann Benjamin1, Jang Juyeon1, Ruzzel Jose L. Miclat1, Mark B. Samson2 1Student, Adventist University of the Philippines 2Faculty, Adventist University of the Philippines [email protected] Introduction: Hours are spent daily on various types of media, and by choice or not, exposure to sexually explicit material may occur. Although there are several studies conducted on the negative effects of sexual media exposure, there is insufficient information regarding its relationship with academic engagement. This study determined the extent of sexual media exposure, degree of academic engagement and the relationship between these aspects among first year college. Methods: The study utilized a quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive- correlational design. A purposive sampling technique was used to gather 101 respondents using specified criteria. Differential and Inferential statistics were used in the study. Specifically, the mean, standard deviation, correlation coefficient, regression analysis, t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for statistical analysis. Results: The study showed that the extent of sexual media exposure of first year college students in terms of frequency and duration are low. The study also revealed that the students have a high degree of academic engagement of first year college students in terms of affective, behavioral, and cognitive faculties. Further, the study revealed that there is no significant relationship between sexual media exposure and student academic engagement. A weak positive relationship exists between sexual media exposure and affective academic engagement. Furthermore, it showed that there is no significant difference in students' academic engagement when religion is considered. A significant difference exists however in the respondents behavioral, affective, and cognitive academic engagement when nationality and sex were considered. Finally, findings showed that sex and nationality are the best predictors of student academic engagement. Discussion: There is no relationship between sexual media exposure and student academic engagement but a weak relationship is perceived in affective academic engagement. Significant difference are seen in the respondents‘ academic engagement when nationality and sex were considered and they are the predictors of student academic engagement. To sustain high degree academic engagement, exposure to possibly distracting sexual media should be studied. Keywords: sexual media, academic engagement