Internet porn is the drug of the new millennium, it’s the
new ecstasy, and it’s only one click away. For some,
it’s as addictive as heroin, leaving addicts and their loved
ones with a list of sexual and psychological difficulties.
While there is no consensus in the health community about the
dangers of porn or the exact meaning and prevalence of pornography
addiction, the idea of Internet porn addiction is becoming more
prevalent and gaining attention.
Personal testimonies and the evidence available make it obvious
that more scientific studies in this area need to be conducted.
I don’t believe that pornography should be illegal ““
just as I believe that shopping and gambling addictions don’t
make it necessary to outlaw either malls or casinos ““ but I
do think that people need to be educated about the possible harmful
effects of pornography.
While some studies have shown that uncensored porn is linked to
a reduction in sex crimes in some countries, this overlooks the
damaging effects porn has on a more personal level.
According to Christian, family and anti-pornography Web sites,
about 40 million adults regularly visit pornography sites, 10
percent of adults admit to having an addiction to Internet porn,
and 70 percent of porn hits occur on business computers between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m.
While these sites are probably biased, that doesn’t mean
they are completely wrong. And the lack of politically unbiased
statistics and dialogue on this topic is disturbing in itself.
I’ve met people who are addicted to Internet porn, so this
phenomenon isn’t some attempt to ban porn by right-wing
born-again Christians ““ this is real.
In November 2004, Dr. Mary Anne Layden, co-director of the
Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program at the University of
Pennsylvania, gave a speech to the U.S. Senate on exactly this
topic.
She stressed that interacting with porn in any way damaged both
the viewer and the sex worker. By creating a demand for porn, the
viewer is condoning sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and
other aspects of the porn industry.
But the viewers also damage themselves. According to Layden,
while some people who are addicted to porn eventually participate
in such crimes as domestic violence and rape, more often, people
who are addicted to porn have trouble having sex. They can suffer
from premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction.
As Layden put it, “Pornography is raising their
expectation and demand for types and amounts of sexual experiences
at the same time it is reducing their ability to experience
sex.”
Pornography addiction also damages people who are close to the
addict. The significant other of an addict will often get depressed
and have problems with body image and low self-esteem, Layden
reported. After all, it’s not possible to provide the same
fantasies that the fake sexual world of porn provides.
But the problem seems to be mostly with the Internet ““
it’s easy, and if you know how to erase your history, there
are no embarrassing consequences. You don’t have to go to any
video store, tolerate the secret wink of the guy manning the
magazine stand, or pay any sum of money except for the Internet
connection.
While I completely advocate masturbation, masturbating only to
porn can’t be healthy.
I’ll use a hypothetical situation (I love hypothetical
situations ““ you should try coming up with your own sometime)
based on my conversations with various students to illustrate my
point.
Let’s say a guy ““ let’s call him Dick, for my
amusement ““ is really curious about what his parents do after
he’s in bed.
He’s also in the sixth grade, 11 years old, and starting
to notice certain girls at school. And one day, he discovers his
father’s magazine stash. Ooh-la-la.
So hypothetical Dick discovers masturbation. And since
he’s never seen a naked chick before, the magazines are all
he has to work with. Anyway, one day when he’s researching
his report on the Civil War, he discovers Internet porn.
Now, Internet porn has a completely different flavor and feel to
it than magazines. There are videos, there are pictures, and there
are a lot of them. So many girls, so many positions, so many
possibilities.
As Dick becomes older and more experienced, masturbation becomes
an obsession. Like Pavlov’s dog, Dick has classically trained
himself to associate porn and computer screens with sexual
arousal.
And when Dick does get a girlfriend, he runs into trouble. She
just isn’t what porn is. She isn’t constantly changing
or groaning, and her boobs are just too real. He gets bored and
can’t perform. In fact, he’d much rather be
masturbating.
And while Dick only lives inside the confines of my mind, his
problem is more realistic than you might think.
And while case studies support these claims, most of this
information doesn’t have a solid scientific foundation. To
properly educate the public on the harms or benefits of porn, money
first needs to be granted to do research in this area.
And by the way, Lara is a flaming, tree-hugging liberal, so
you can e-mail her at lloewenstein@media.ucla.edu.