Young Australians are viewing pornography as frequently as they were six years ago, but the average age at which young women are first viewing it has decreased significantly, according to new research.
A study by Our Watch, the leading national organisation for the prevention of violence against women, surveyed more than 830 young Australians about gender roles, sex, dating, relationships, and online pornography consumption.
The findings show that, compared to the last Our Watch survey, published in 2018, the average age of first exposure for young women has dropped by two years.
Among young people who had seen pornography, the average age of first porn exposure was 13.2 years for males and 13.9 years for females. In contrast, the median age for young women’s first exposure was 16 in 2018.
Impact of pornography on young people
Our Watch said that while some research finds pornography has a positive impact on “young people’s sexual socialisation and experiences, the large majority identifies that early exposure to pornography can have a significant negative impact on the development of young people’s attitudes and practices”.
The vast majority of young people surveyed also agreed that pornography pushes stereotypes of what is expected of men and women in sex, impacts how women are viewed in real life, and that porn is degrading to women.
Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly told SBS News young people’s exposure to pornography is concerning because it can “shake” their understanding of sex, dating and relationships.
“It’s also a concern because viewing violent porn is associated with a greater likelihood of men and boys holding disrespectful and derogatory attitudes that can lead to violence against women,” she said.
Professor Michael Flood, a sociology researcher at Queensland University of Technology, told SBS News that two decades of research show pornography can have a strong impact on young minds.
Pornography can act as a strong sexual ‘socialiser’ for young people, shaping attitudes, desires, and behaviour.
, lower relationship satisfaction and lead to addictive or compulsive use.
Flood said while there are many unrealistic components to pornography that may make young people uncomfortable or self-conscious, including unrealistic body expectations and sexual acts, he is primarily concerned with its depictions of aggression and sexual violence.
“The biggest problem with porn is its routine depictions of aggression, of strangulation, of slapping, of verbally degrading language, its depictions of coercion,” he said.
Violence against women in pornography
Women are overwhelming the subject of high levels of physical and verbal aggression in pornography. In addition, .
Flood said he believes aggression has become more common in recent decades due to the porn industry’s desire to push boundaries and attract new audiences who may have become bored with conventional material.
According to the Our Watch research, seven out of 10 young people say the porn they consume often shows aggression and violence against women.
Flood said there is robust research evidence connecting pornography to sexist and sexually objectifying attitudes, as well as violent attitudes and behaviour.
“If people tell you that we don’t know whether there’s evidence of a relationship between porn and sexual violence, they’re either ignorant or dishonest because there’s certainly a good body of consistent evidence that pornography shapes people’s sexual attitudes and behaviour,” Flood said.
For young people who begin viewing pornography at an average age of 13, he said it can be particularly influential in shaping their “sexual scripts” — their expectations of how they or others should behave or what should happen during sexual experiences.
“There’s good evidence that pornography shapes people’s expectations about how to behave, about what kinds of acts are a normal part of sex, what kinds of things are sexually arousing and so on,” Flood said.
“That might be especially powerful for people who haven’t themselves been sexually active, who are sexually inexperienced. So, someone who’s 12,13 or 14, for example, as opposed to someone who’s perhaps 18 or 19.”
But Flood said the negative impacts of watching pornography can also be influenced by the attitudes of the viewers, the type of pornography, and the duration of viewing.
How to address the impact of pornography?
Our Watch has called for a range of measures to help young people critically engage with pornography, including respectful relationships education and access to information about pornography.
“The education system is one of the biggest opportunities we have to help children and young people develop healthy and respectful relationships,” Kinnersly said.
Kinnersly said young people need to have access to online programs through social media that support these goals.
Flood said parents also have a vital role to play in mediating the impact, even though this may feel awkward for many.
“I think they’re a critical part of our parenting is to talk to our children and young people about their bodies as they move into puberty. About relationships, about treating others well, about healthy relationships and consent and so on,” he said.
Kinnersly said improving education about pornography, sex and relationships is particularly important given the violence against women that has occurred in Australia so far this year.
“We’re in a national crisis; 64 women have already this year been murdered — and we know that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“That doesn’t include sexual assault or sexual violence or coercive control or financial abuse or sexual harassment in workplaces. We know that violence against women and all gendered violence is underpinned by disrespect.”
