Adolescents Show Sex-Specific Preferences on Media when Pornography is a Major Source of Sexual Knowledge

Abstract

Aim: Reports are rare on sexual knowledge associated with consumption of pornography in adolescence. Methods: A questionnaire was presented to all pupils in 9th grade in the municipality of Viborg without prior notice to teachers or pupils. We wanted to explore the knowledge on sexual matters with focus on pornography and what media was used. Pornography was divided according to five media subcategories. Knowledge on sexually transmitted infection (STI), pregnancy and abortion and their associations with pornography were explored. Results: Pornography was reported as the second largest source of knowledge on sex (61%) only surpassed marginally by closest of friends as source (63%). Girls reported more use of pornographic written media as source of knowledge than boys (p=0.002). Sixty-eight percent (218 of 320) of the girls reported having their knowledge on sex from magazines without explicit photographs; thus, these magazines constituted a major source for adolescent girls. Girls knew the gestational age of legal abortion in Denmark and had their knowledge from non-explicit magazines while this was not the case for boys (p=0.004). Pupils who stated their knowledge on sex from these magazines knew the first sign of pregnancy (menostasia), the correct facts of legal abortion, and STI. Conclusions: Pornography in different media is used in the vast majority of adolescents and its use is sex-specific. Knowledge on STI, pregnancy, legal abortion was variably associated with the type of media.