Skip to main content

Pornography – A Harmless Teenage Rite of Passage or a Dangerous Addiction?

By Stephen C. Schultz

There is an increasing dialogue happening behind the scenes among parents and educators. Over the past few years, I have had more conversations with parents expressing concerns about their daughters "sleeping around." Many also worry about their sons viewing pornography on the computer.



Are these just "uptight" parents? No. These are parents who have struggled with competing thoughts about what is "normal" and what isn’t. Thoughts like, "Oh, I fooled around a little bit when I was a kid. They will grow out of it." Or, "Aw... every kid looks at dirty pictures when they’re a teenager." These parents instinctively recognize that something is different about what is happening today compared to the "shenanigans" of the past.

Here is some information I hope you find interesting. Dr. Jeffrey Satinover, a physician and psychiatrist at Princeton, discusses the physiological effects of pornography on the developing brain. He challenges the idea that pornography is merely a form of artistic expression, stating:

"Pornography is mere 'expression' only in the trivial sense that a fall from the Empire State Building is a mere stumble—since it’s hitting the ground that’s fatal. Or that cigarettes don’t cause cancer; it’s the burning smoke that’s the problem."

Dr. Satinover goes on to say: "Like cigarettes, that particular form of expression we call pornography, unlike all other forms of expression, is a delivery system that has a distinct and powerful effect upon the human brain and nervous system. Exactly like cigarettes, and unlike any other form of expression, this effect is to cause a powerful addiction. Like any other addiction, the addiction is both to the delivery system itself—the pornography—and to the chemicals that the delivery system delivers."

(From Dr. Jeffrey Satinover’s testimony before the U.S. Senate on pornography, in 2004.)

I’m interested in your thoughts related to pornography as an addiction:

  1. How do you think pornography consumption compares to other addictive behaviors, such as drug use or gambling, in terms of its impact on the brain and daily life?

  2. What role do you believe modern technology and easy access to explicit content play in shaping addictive behaviors related to pornography?

  3. Do you think society adequately addresses the potential harms of pornography addiction, or is it often dismissed as a non-issue? Why?


Labels:
Location: United States

Comments

Eileen Antalek, Ed.D. said…
A generation or two ago, some young people viewed Daddy's Playboy magazine, maybe even a few times, and put it away. The problem is not looking once or twice--it is the ubiquitous prevalence of pornography, the acceptance of images of near naked people, mostly women, pandering to the salacious appetites of individuals who yearn for something different (outside of mainstream social connections). And the images are not real anyway--airbrushed photos of young men and women who can afford personal trainers, teeth whitening, etc. People don't just kiss each other in movies, they grope. Sanitizing sex is not the answer, of course, but limiting exposure and/or providing a conversation about the images is.
April 6, 2015 at 7:07 AM
Stephen C. Schultz said…
Thank you Eileen for your comment and insight. So well said! They are not only air brushed pictures but full video now. Many of the students we work with have been exposed as early as four years old. How does a four year old have the developmental capacity to manage that kind of information at an age appropriate level? The answer...they don't!
April 6, 2015 at 9:38 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recommended Books for Parents, Families, and Personal Growth

 By Stephen C. Schultz Parenting has never come with an instruction manual. As children grow, families encounter new challenges involving communication, relationships, anxiety, technology, independence, emotional regulation, and simply figuring out how to help a child navigate an increasingly complicated world. Over the years, I have spoken with many parents who were looking for more than a quick answer to a difficult parenting problem. Sometimes they wanted to better understand their child's behavior. Other times they wanted to improve communication, establish healthier boundaries, or simply find a different way of looking at a situation. One of the resources I have found particularly helpful is a good book. The right book cannot solve a family's problems, but it can provide a new perspective, introduce a useful skill, or reassure a parent that they are not alone. With that in mind, I have compiled the following list of books that parents, families, and others may find helpful...
5 comments
Read more

Personal Fulfillment – a byproduct of kindness, caring and service

By Stphen C. Schultz As I watch the news and listen to discussions on the daily topics of interest, I find myself disheartened by the selfish, shallow and selective reasoning that seems to be so pervasive throughout our great country. Selfishness creates an attitude of self-pity, which over rides any attempt at empathy for others, compassion or thoughts of service. Chronic self-concern means that the emotional "No Vacancy" sign will always be sputtering. I find myself asking; what ever happened to civility brought about by kindness, tact and tolerance? Where is the courage to be caring, honest, faithful and friendly with one another? If we as a people hope for unity, we must embrace patience, peacefulness, respect, idealism, courtesy and honor. My next thought was that these principles seem to be foreign to whole generations. Many seem to be caught up in a “scarcity” mentality where there are only winners and losers with no opportunity for a “win-win” situation to b...
4 comments
Read more

Treat People Like They’re Under Construction

By Stephen C. Schultz Five Ways to Support Others as They Grow I find it interesting that when someone is remodeling their home, visitors are very tolerant of improvements that are obviously underway. They understand that dust, mess, and exposed beams are part of the process. You might even hear comments like, “It’s going to be beautiful when it’s done!” or “I love seeing the progress!” Yet when someone is remodeling their character , we often don’t extend the same grace. Instead of supporting the process, we sometimes call attention to the “mess” in progress or worse, we remind them of what their “house” used to look like, as if they’re not allowed to change the floorplan. But here’s the truth: our lives are all Design/Build projects. We learn as we go. We draft blueprints based on what we think will work, and then we tweak them in real time. There’s no perfect plan from the start, only vision, intention, and a whole lot of revision. So how do we show up for others in the middle o...
4 comments
Read more