Pornography’s effects

Lesson 1

Most teens have seen it

In a 2022 national survey by Common Sense Media, 73% of teens 13 to 17 had seen pornography online, and the average age they first saw it was 12. More than half had come across it by accident. If you’ve seen it, you’re not alone, and you can talk about it.

Lesson 2

What porn leaves out

Porn is made to sell, not to show real relationships. Among the teens in that survey who had seen it, only about 1 in 4 said it shows sex accurately, about half had seen violent or aggressive porn, and only 1 in 3 had seen porn that showed someone asking for consent.

Researchers have linked watching porn with more permissive attitudes about sex and stronger gender stereotypes, and watching violent porn with a higher chance of sexual aggression. Most of these studies can’t prove that porn causes these effects, but the pattern is consistent.

Real intimacy is built on trust, respect and consent, not on what’s shown on a screen.

Lesson 3

How it can affect you

Half of the teens who had seen porn said they felt guilty or ashamed afterward, and 1 in 4 felt they should watch less. Being curious about sex is a normal part of growing up. What matters is where you go for answers.

For some people, watching becomes hard to control. Signs include:

• It takes over, so sleep, school, friends or other interests get pushed aside.
• You’ve tried to cut back many times without success.
• You keep going even when it causes problems, or when you don’t enjoy it anymore.

It often goes along with stress, loneliness, boredom, anxiety or depression, and those deserve care too.

Lesson 4

Stepping away

• Know your triggers, like boredom, stress or being alone late at night, and plan something else for those moments.
• Make it harder to reach. Keep phones and laptops out of your bedroom at night, and turn on content filters.
• Talk to someone you trust. Of the teens who had talked with a trusted adult about porn, 71% said it showed them there are helpful resources besides porn.
• Get support if it’s hard to stop: your doctor, a school counselor, or Teen Link, teens talking with teens from 6 to 10 p.m. at 866-833-6546. In a crisis, call or text 988.

Check yourself

Myth or fact?

Questions people ask

Asked and answered.