Internet and sexuality in Morocco, from cyber habits to psychopathology

The impact of Internet pornography on children and adolescents: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Young people's exposure to online pornographic material has increased in the past years. Its impact is a complex topic but an important issue due to growing concerns. Therefore, we reviewed the literature on Internet pornography consumption and its impact on children and adolescents. Furthermore, we examined young people's thoughts about pornography and their reasons for consumption.

METHOD

We performed a systematic literature search in the online databases ERIC, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and PSYNDEX for peer-reviewed articles in English, published between 2000 and 2022 and additionally identified secondary references.

RESULTS

We could determine associations between pornography consumption and demographic variables (e.g., age, gender), personal characteristics (e.g., [sexual] sensation seeking, sexual interest and experience, general risk behavior), environmental variables (e.g., peers, family), attitudes (e.g., gender role attitudes, permissive sexual attitudes), behavior (e.g. sexual risk behaviour, sexting) and sexual aggression (e.g., sexual cybervictimization, grooming). Moreover, we found that girls have a more negative attitude towards pornography than boys who have an ambivalent opinion on the subject. Most adolescents are aware that the majority of pornographic material is exaggerated and unrealistic. Furthermore, pornography is not only watched out of curiosity and for sexual arousal but also used as a source of sexual information, especially by minority groups.

DISCUSSION

Many effects that impair children's development have been documented. The results found in this review are often contradictory. Therefore, further replication studies are needed. In addition, we propose several preventive measures, e.g., sexual health education at schools for both heterosexuals and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) people.

Discourse on Exposure to Pornography Content Online Between Arab Adolescents and Parents: Qualitative Study on its Impact on Sexual Education and Behavior

Background

The internet revolution of the 21st century has made sexual content available and accessible on a scale that has never existed before. Many studies have indicated that the use of pornography was associated with more permissive sexual attitudes and tended to be linked with stronger gender-stereotypical sexual beliefs. It also seemed to be associated with other risky behaviors and sexual promiscuity. Pornography exposure in conservative societies leads to conflicts with religious and cultural taboos.

Objective

The aim of this study was to characterize the barriers and difficulties that prevent sexual discourse in the Arab society and enable pornography viewing according to the perceptions of adolescents and mothers.

Methods

This study involved qualitative research methods and in-depth interviews with 40 participants. This study included 20 Arab adolescents, sampled by 2 age groups (14-16 years and 16-18 years), and 20 mothers of adolescents from both sexes.

Results

The findings indicate that mothers “turn a blind eye” to porn viewing and sexual activity by boys; however, they show a sweeping prohibition and denial of such behavior by girls. Boys reported viewing porn routinely, whereas girls denied doing so, but admitted that their female friends watched porn. The study also found that boys experienced guilt during and after viewing porn as a result of the clash between modernity and traditional values. The mothers and adolescents emphasized the need for an open sexual discourse to reduce violent behaviors such as Web-based sexual harassment, including sending videos and pictures of naked girls, often accompanied by threats and blackmail.

Conclusions

It is necessary to find a way to encourage a significant sexual discourse to prevent the violent consequences of its absence in the Arab society. A controlled, transparent, and critical sexual discourse could help youth make more informed decisions concerning the search for sexual content, porn viewing, and sexual behavior.

Sexuality and the Internet: A Study of the Perspectives of Turkish University Students

The purpose of this study was to determine Turkish university students' uses of and attitudes toward the Internet concerning sexuality. The study was conducted in two public universities in the Central Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia regions of Turkey. Among the students invited to take part in the study, 1,330 students agreed to do so. The study data were collected using a questionnaire designed by researchers to determine participants' personal characteristics, computer and Internet uses in general, and for sexual matters. The findings suggest that approximately half of the students (51%) reported using the Internet to obtain information about sexuality. Among the students, 30.5% said that they visit erotic and pornographic Web sites, 21.1% said that they chat on the Internet about sexuality, and 9.3% said that they bought sexual products online. Compared to the female students, the male students, statistically, more frequently show behaviors such as obtaining sexual information on the Internet, online sexual shopping, chatting on the Internet about sexuality, and visiting pornographic and erotic Web sites. In addition, female students have more negative attitudes toward using the Internet for sexual purposes. This study discusses its results along with the literature from Turkey and other countries.

Adolescents and Pornography: A Review of 20 Years of Research

The goal of this review was to systematize empirical research that was published in peer-reviewed English-language journals between 1995 and 2015 on the prevalence, predictors, and implications of adolescents' use of pornography. This research showed that adolescents use pornography, but prevalence rates varied greatly. Adolescents who used pornography more frequently were male, at a more advanced pubertal stage, sensation seekers, and had weak or troubled family relations. Pornography use was associated with more permissive sexual attitudes and tended to be linked with stronger gender-stereotypical sexual beliefs. It also seemed to be related to the occurrence of sexual intercourse, greater experience with casual sex behavior, and more sexual aggression, both in terms of perpetration and victimization. The findings of this review need to be seen against the background of various methodological and theoretical shortcomings, as well as several biases in the literature, which currently precludes internally valid causal conclusions about effects of pornography on adolescents.