1. Running head: PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 1
Literature Review:
Pornography Addiction in Today’s Adolescents
Kimberly M. Schneider
Argosy University-Online

2. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 2
Abstract
93% of boys and 62% of girls are exposed to Internet Pornography before the age of 18
years old (Gilkerson, 2010). Another alarming fact is that 18% of boys and 10% of girls have
seen rape or sexual violence online (Gilkerson, 2010). We, as a society, are so involved in
avoiding drug and alcohol addictions with our children, but one of the biggest addictions is right
in our homes and the majority of it is free.
This paper will focus on many aspects that connect pornography with criminal behavior,
violence, mental illness, addiction. Nonetheless, the most disturbing aspect of how all of this is
involving adolescents will be the main focus. How are adolescents connected to such an adult
world? Are some types of pornography okay for our children to watch? And, if there are so many
negative influences, why is society continuing to allow it? By 2010, only 7% of adolescent boys
had not been exposed to internet pornography (Gilkerson, 2010). Considering the technological
expansion in our lives, that number is probably more alarming five years later.

3. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 3
Literature Review
Introduction
93% of boys and 62% of girls are exposed to Internet Pornography before the age of 18
years old (Gilkerson, 2010). Another alarming fact is that 18% of boys and 10% of girls have
seen rape or sexual violence online (Gilkerson, 2010). We, as a society, are so involved in
avoiding drug and alcohol addictions with our children, but one of the biggest addictions is right
in our homes and the majority of it is free.
The Adult entertainment industry is one of the largest money making industries, bringing
in $13.3 billion in the United States and $97 billion worldwide as of 2003 (Women’s Services
and Resources, 2015) to contribute to the demand of adult only entertainment. However, as of
2007 the largest consumer of Internet pornography was the 12-17 year old age group (Women’s
Services and Resources, 2015), which is not considered adult age. With the explosion of
technology explicit adult content is falling in the hands of adolescents who should never be
exposed to such entertainment until they are of adult age (18 years old) and their brains are fully
developed.
This paper will focus on many aspects that connect pornography with criminal behavior,
violence, mental illness, addiction. Nonetheless, the most disturbing aspect of how all of this is
involving adolescents will be the main focus. How are adolescents connected to such an adult
world? Are some types of pornography okay for our children to watch? And, if there are so many
negative influences, why is society continuing to allow it? By 2010, only 7% of adolescent boys
had not been exposed to internet pornography (Gilkerson, 2010). Considering the technological
expansion in our lives, that number is probably more alarming five years later.

4. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 4
Pornography…Is It All Bad?
Depending on where one looks, there are various definitions for the term pornography.
One textbook defines pornography as, “In legal terms, any sexually explicit work deemed
obscene according to legal criteria and therefore exempt from freedom of speech productions”
(Jock, 2010). However, another textbook defines pornography as “material that is intended to
arouse people sexually by portraying sexual matters in visual or verbal forms” (Conklin, 2010).
Just from reading these two definitions, one could easily have confused ideas on what
pornography really is, especially an adolescent.
Many individuals would agree that there is a difference among the various types of
pornography. In fact there is pornography that is considered tasteful to many individuals due to it
involving consenting adults performing in sexual acts that are pleasurable to all parties. Erotica,
which is defined as “sexually explicit works expressing physical desire, passion, and attraction
among people who freely choose to engage in sexual activities together” (Jock, 2010), is
considered the “tasteful” type that many individuals of society will support as legal and
appropriate adult entertainment. A short and simple way to compare pornography and erotica is
that erotica is about “sexual sharing” whereas pornography is about “sexual using” (Jock, 2010).
However, the question still stands: Is any type of pornography / erotica healthy for the adolescent
mind?”.
There is also the controversy of pornography being discriminatory against women. What
message is pornography sending to youth when the woman is force to do whatever the man
wants? Then there is the controversy of pornography causing sexual violence and deviant
behaviors among its viewers. It has been said there are three basic themes for most of
pornography:

5. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 5
1. All women at all times want sex from men.
2. Women enjoy all the sexual acts that men perform or demand.
3. Any woman who does not at first consent; this can be easily turned with a little force,
though force is rarely necessary because most of the woman in pornography are the
imagined “nymphomaniacs” about whom many men fantasize.
(Jock, 2010)
Therefore, considering the themes and types of pornography out there, would this content
of adult entertainment be appropriate for the adolescent mind and should it be a replacement for
sexual education?
Society and Pornography
“Socialization is the process through which a culture teaches its members about its
beliefs, customs, habits, and languages (Kendrick, 2007)”. It is very obvious that individual’s
follow what the majority of society is doing or believing. There are those few who have the
strong will power and personalities to go against the grain of society, but the majority would
rather go along with things than to put the focus on themselves. According to the social learning
theory, individuals learn from the exposure of specific people or the exposure to specific
environments. “Just as people change their situations, situations can change people” ( Kendrick,
2007).
Therefore, looking at pornography from a sociology perspective can offer a great insight
as to how the adult entertainment industry influences society. Considering the United States First
Amendment right to freedom of speech, it has been very difficult for pornography to be
completely outlawed. However, it is highly obvious that the morals and values of law makers
who were asked to make decisions on the legality of pornography made it difficult to come to a

6. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 6
solid conclusion. The reason is that sex is private and it has always been a taboo topic to speak in
public about or to voice one’s own values and beliefs on sexual activity and pornography.
Nonetheless, this has caused an epidemic with adolescents who have not had proper discussions
about sexual activity with their parents. Instead of adolescents learning about sex from their
parents, they are learning about sex from the situations they are in and from societies view on the
internet. In other words, the 93% of boys who have been exposed to internet pornography
(Gilkerson, 2010) most likely viewed sexual acts that were on a fantasy level rather than a
realistic level, which immediately altered their perspective on how a couple engages in sexual
intercourse.
Studies have shown that there is a correlation between watching violent pornography and
hostility toward women. The relationship between hostility toward women and violent
pornography is strongest for men who view high levels of violent pornography. There are also
other risk factors that are related to the violence towards women (Kendrick, 2007).
The influence found in the media has shown heroes being rewarded for their violent
behavior and in some subcultures, a willingness to act violently has been rewarded with wealth
and success (Kendrick, 2007).
Pornography and Youth
Biological Standpoint
The human brain takes up to 25 years to completely develop (Carlson, 2010). This is the
reason why teenagers seem to not make very smart choices. The part of the brain, which is
within the frontal lobe, is the last part of the brain to develop and it mainly controls the “cause
and effect” part of thinking. Even though an adolescent has been told the consequences of a

7. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 7
wreck less decision (drinking alcohol, sex, pornography, criminal activity, etc.), it is highly
likely that he or she will fall victim of peer pressure or societies pressure because their brain has
not completely formed the mental-visual standpoint of a consequence yet. Once the adolescent
has experienced the consequences for himself, then that exact memory will be stored in the
memory bank and he will be able to refer to that experience next time he is faced with that
decision. However, many times the first encounter with drugs, alcohol, or even pornography
results in a good feeling. So, after that first encounter is stored in the memory bank, that person
will be chasseing that initial experience, which most likely will never happen again. So, in order
to find that first pleasurable feeling the individual starts to seek other forms of the operant. For
example, if a 13 year old boy looks up “girls and sex” on the internet, there are various web
pages that will be available. That first encounter will be filled with nervous excitement of the
unknown and of the chance that he could be caught. Once he finds what he is looking for, he
feels the arousal of seeing naked women and sexual activity on the screen. This could lead to
masturbation or he may end up going to a private area (bathroom or bedroom) to masturbate after
viewing the pictures or video. The more he views sexually explicit content on the internet, the
neurotransmitters in his brain will start to connect arousal with those pictures or videos. His brain
and body will be trained to think that is the only way to be aroused. However, the excitement
will dull after a while and he will seek out more sexually explicit material that may be more
risky, such as “anal sex” or “bondage”. Considering an adolescent’s mind is not fully developed,
he or she is molding their brain into a highly sexualized and possibly violence aroused brain
which will then follow that individual into adulthood and possibly cause problems with
relationships, socialization, and criminal activity.
Lifestyle

8. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 8
As of 2007, the largest consumers of internet pornography were within the ages of 12-17
years old (Women’s Services and Resources, 2015). With the availability of pornography 24
hours per day, 7 days per week and let’s not forget the many tools to access the internet. Children
have smart phones, iPads, Tablets, IPods, Laptops, Notebooks, and even internet hooked to
televisions (Smart TVs). These are a lot of devices for a parent to keep track of the activity,
especially if there are multiple children in the home. And parents cannot have complete
knowledge on everything their child is doing. They have the possibility of exposure in school, at
a friend’s house, or anywhere that has Wi-Fi. Our society lives in a time that when a child has a
question, the inquiring mind is suggested to “Google It”. So, if one is “googling” questions about
life, why not “google” questions about sex or about a sexual word that they have heard at school
or at the mall.
Mental Illness and Addiction
Mental Illness
Many mental disorders are portrayed in pornography to entertain and arouse those
watching it. An adolescent that does not have the proper education on intimacy and sexual health
would see these acts performed and given the idea that these acts are okay to be involved in.
Also, if they view some videos or pictures, then find themselves aroused from it, the child could
withdrawal from normal interaction with others due to thinking that something must be wrong
with him / her if they achieve arousal. However, this is far from the truth. Due to the many
hormones and nerve endings associated with a penis or vagina, the body can show arousal
(erection of penis or clitoris) without the individual being mentally aroused. It could be a
different type of excitement or the slight touch on those areas from clothing and movement
(Jock, 2010). Nonetheless, a child does not understand this and could easily become ashamed.

9. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 9
In one case study, a 32 year old man discloses his fetish with panties. He claimed that he
became more sexually aroused by the sight and feel of women’s panties than the sight and feel of
the actual woman. The interesting part is that his fetish started when he was seven years old and
viewed pornographic material showing half nude women in their panties. He experienced his
first ejaculation at the age of 13 years old while masturbating to pictures of women in panties. He
continued to steal women’s panties to fulfill his fetish (Butcher, 2010). However, would this
have become a problem if wouldn’t have been exposed to pornography at a young age? Would
he have had a healthier sexual outlook if his first encounter of sexual activity was the actual act
of intimacy with a live partner?
Another mental illness associated with sexual activity would be sexual sadism or
masochism. These are topics that are highly available on the internet. 80% of 15-17 year olds
have had exposure to hard core pornography on the internet (Women’s Services and Resources,
2015). These topics include putting the victim through pain for the aggressor’s sexual
satisfaction, the aggressor seeking out pain for his / her sexual satisfaction, watching others being
tortured for sexual satisfaction, and simulated rape on men, women, and children for sexual
satisfaction.
So, for a young teenage boy who has received his sexual education from multiple XXX
sites, how would we expect him to approach his first sexual encounter or even his first date with
a boy or girl? If he is seeing women enjoying being taken advantage of by three men at the same
time, wouldn’t he perceive that as what women want?
Addiction

10. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 10
The visual stimulation of pornography creates a biochemical high in the brain’s pleasure
center (Teen Rehab, 2015). 20 to 30 years ago, the availability to pornographic images was very
limited and not easily repeated. However, now an adolescent boy or girl can sit with their phone,
tablet, or computer and watch internet pornography all day long and experience that high over
and over again. Once they become desensitized to the product they are viewing, they seek out
something different that adds a little more excitement. When there were only magazine pictures
and VHS tapes for people to view, the possibility of finding different types of sexual acts and the
possibility of watching multiple sexual acts within a 24 hour period was very unlikely. However
now, a lot of pornography is free and doesn’t involve having to interact with another live human
being to reach the peak of arousal that the individual is seeking. Unlike drugs, where the
individual needs money to purchase and also needs to have connections to dealers or traffikers to
get their fix. Another important factor to remember is that adolescent girls are just as much
susceptible to addiction to pornography as adolescent boys. The signs of pornography addiction
in teens is as follows:
 Shows changes in behavior, mood, or sleep.
 Loses track of time while viewing pornography
 Isolates him / herself from family or friends
 Shows declining academic or work performance
 Seeks pornography when feeling stressed, anxious, or angry
 Becomes angry or irritable when asked to stop
 Continues the behavior despite attempts to stop or despite being punished for it
(Teen Rehab, 2015)

11. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 11
The most alarming aspect of pornography addiction in adolescents, is that once they are
considered legal adults, the possibility of being charged of a crime involved sex or sexual acts is
higher. Also, if a child has been actively viewing pornography from the age of 10 years old, by the
time he / she has reached adulthood there is a lot he / she is desensitized from, which means that
criminal activity is more likely.
When Pornography Becomes a Crime
Sex crimes are common in the United States. One in five girls and one in seven boys are
sexually abused by the time they reach adulthood (CSOM, 2015). As of 2007, 43% of rapists in
the United States were under age 25 years old and 15% were 18 years old and under (Bartol,
2011). 5% of all arrests for forcible rape and 11% of all other sexual offense arrests involved
juveniles 15 years old or younger (Bartol, 2011). These numbers seem very surprising until you
know that 90% of 8-16 year olds view pornography while do their homework (Women’s
Services and Resources, 2015). This is where children are gaining their sexual education and if
we as a society do not step up and realize that we have a problem that needs fixed, we will have a
whole new breed of adult sex offenders within 5-10 years. Due to the increase of availability to
pornographic material, we as a society cannot sit back and keep conversations about sex obsolete
any longer.
It has been known for many years that serial killers were acting out the fantacies and
extreme acts viewed in pornography. 81% of serial killers used pornography extensively
(Kitaeff, 2011). So, if serial killers from 20 years ago claimed addiction to pornography (
magazines and VHS tapes), then what kind of criminal behavior can we expect with the 93% of
boys and 62% of girls under 18 years old?

12. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 12
Conclusion
Sexual intimacy and pornography have been taboo topics from the day it all began. There
is not doubt that the conversation beings some uncomfortable feelings. However, we as a society
have a responsibility to put our uncomfortable feelings aside and educate our children properly.
The fact that such a detrimental addiction is happening under so many roofs while parents are in
the same house is frightening. The treatments are available if families are willing to open up and
talk about internet usage and pornography addiction. It can happen to anyone, however we can
control how our children’s’ future becomes by being more knowledgeable about technology and
communicating with these adults of the future.

13. PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION 13
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