“As long as you don’t hurt anybody….” That’s usually the answer these days when someone challenges a behavior that used to be considered “immoral.” But isn’t morality an outdated concept? Interestingly, 70% of people viewing porn consider their activities “secret” according to an MSNBC study. Psychology Today reveals that this may be because “Porn appears to bathe our brains in neurochemicals that lead to shame.” With 45% of teens saying “their friends” (ahem…maybe themselves?) view porn, there’s a lot of shame going around.
Even if one removes morality out of the picture (although I don’t advocate that!), there IS still reason to combat the use of porn in our culture. Take a look at this helpful graphic from fightthenewdrug.org displaying the harm porn can cause. Because the youthful, still-forming brain is especially susceptible to porn, people are getting addicted at younger and younger ages. And sometimes those addictions bear rotten fruit, if not now, then down the road. Most of us know someone who has lost a job, lost a marriage, or even faced financial ruin because of his or her porn addiction. Many adults whose lives have been destroyed by a porn addiction would warn teens to not let it get a foothold.
The science is there. Porn messes with our brains. And it messes up our relationships. Fightthenewdrug.org looks at the harmfulness of pornography from a scientific as well as a social and emotional perspective. If you are concerned about your teen (or yourself or a spouse), you can find helpful information under the tab on their site entitled “Resources.”