Article Adolescents exposed to porn show higher rates of risky behavior and traditional gender views
Article Adolescents exposed to porn show higher rates of risky behavior and traditional gender views
Oct 24 2025, 8:01 AM
Quote:Those who had watched pornography scored higher on the traditional sexism scale. This subscale includes beliefs such as the idea that certain jobs are more suitable for men than women. However, there was no significant difference between pornography users and non-users in the more egalitarian subscale, which measures support for breaking down gender roles entirely.
The researchers also found that adolescents who consumed pornography were more likely to be involved in both online and offline sexual risk behaviors. These included sexting, having unprotected sex, regretting a sexual experience, and participating in group sex. In some cases, the likelihood of certain behaviors was two to six times higher among pornography users. Receiving explicit messages or photos and contacting strangers online were especially common among this group.
To explore these links further, the researchers ran statistical models separately for males and females to see which behaviors best predicted pornography use. For both groups, receiving sexual messages and accepting friend requests from unknown people online were strong predictors. Among males, two additional behaviors were significant: receiving explicit images or videos and not using condoms during sex. These findings suggest that pornography use may be part of a broader pattern of online and offline risk engagement, particularly for boys.
Quote:Those who had watched pornography scored higher on the traditional sexism scale. This subscale includes beliefs such as the idea that certain jobs are more suitable for men than women. However, there was no significant difference between pornography users and non-users in the more egalitarian subscale, which measures support for breaking down gender roles entirely.
The researchers also found that adolescents who consumed pornography were more likely to be involved in both online and offline sexual risk behaviors. These included sexting, having unprotected sex, regretting a sexual experience, and participating in group sex. In some cases, the likelihood of certain behaviors was two to six times higher among pornography users. Receiving explicit messages or photos and contacting strangers online were especially common among this group.
To explore these links further, the researchers ran statistical models separately for males and females to see which behaviors best predicted pornography use. For both groups, receiving sexual messages and accepting friend requests from unknown people online were strong predictors. Among males, two additional behaviors were significant: receiving explicit images or videos and not using condoms during sex. These findings suggest that pornography use may be part of a broader pattern of online and offline risk engagement, particularly for boys.
