Internet Pornography Research Articles

Internet Pornography Viewing, Mental Health of Viewers, and Socio-Demographic Determinants of the Behaviour among Youths in Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: Internet use has become pervasive in the society and has facilitated unrestricted access to sexual images and videos. Studies have discussed the social and psychological issues associated with this behaviour, especially among youths. However, there is paucity of studies on the prevalence of internet pornography viewing in Nigeria, the socio-demographic determinants of the behaviour, and its psycho-social effects on Nigerian youths. This study examined pornography viewing, socio-demographic determinants of the behaviour, and mental health of viewers.
 Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive survey design and a multistage sampling technique. The study was conducted among undergraduate students of two tertiary institutions in Ogun State Nigeria. Three hundred and fifty (350) copies of questionnaires were administered. Data were collected on internet utilization, prevalence of pornography viewing, and mental health of viewers. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics for categorical data and chi-square test of independence. Basic ethical principles were adhered to.
 Results: The prevalence rate of internet pornography viewing was 82.93%. There were significant relationships between gender, marital status and pornography viewing (p<0.05) as pornography viewing was higher among males (80%) than females (32%) and higher among engaged (68%), single (65%) than married (18.5%). Majority of the respondents (60%) complained about their mental health.
 Conclusion: Internet pornography utilization is endemic among youths in Ogun state Nigeria as both males and females patronize internet pornography sites. Pornography viewing also has mental health implication on youths in Ogun State Nigeria. The findings of this study suggest the need for public sensitization among youths about the risks associated pornography viewing.

Understanding Serial Mediators of Problematic Pornography Use in Pakistani Men and Women.

280 Pakistani men and women (mean age = 25.40; SD = 5.271, range 18-50) who were current pornography users were recruited through social networking sites (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp groups) to participate in an online study about pathways to problematic pornography use (PPU). Structural equation modeling was used to estimate path analysis coefficients extending from predisposing variables (depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and loneliness) to PPU via the mediating variables of craving, dysfunctional sexual coping, and stimulus-specific inhibitory control. Craving mediated the relationship between three predisposing variables (depression, anxiety, and self-esteem) and PPU, though not the fourth, namely loneliness. Indirect effects of depression, anxiety, and self-esteem were significantly linked to PPU through two serial mediation pathways: (a) craving and stimulus-specific inhibitory control, and (b) craving and dysfunctional sexual coping. These findings demonstrate that craving, stimulus-specific inhibitory control, and dysfunctional coping serve as important mediators in maintaining and exacerbating the cycle between negative predisposing variables and PPU. These results are interpreted within the general framework of therapeutic interventions that can help develop positive coping skills in individuals seeking to alter self-perceived bothersome or unwanted habits related to pornography use.

How do youth, parents, and educators use discursive sexual scripts to make sense of youth engagement with internet pornography?

ABSTRACT In this article, we explore how culturally available sexual scripts are drawn on to make meaning of young people’s engagement with internet pornography (IP). We draw on a version of sexual scripting theory developed by feminist discursive scholars to perform a critical thematic analysis of 24 interviews with parents, educators, and young people. We identify three main scripts commonly drawn on by participants to make sense of youth engagement with IP, namely: a script of harm, a heterosexual script, and a developmentalist script. These scripts, often interweaving with one another, were deployed in various ways, firstly, as ‘risk talk’ and, secondly, as ‘resistant talk’. While both adults and youth engaged with dominant (‘risk’) and alternative (‘resistant’) talk, adults primarily positioned youth within ‘risk talk’. We show how alternative ‘resistant talk’ disrupts common, scripted ways of accounting for youth engagement with IP in a way that demonstrates more nuanced sexual subjectivities – particularly among youth – than the traditional media effects paradigm acknowledges. Importantly, our findings show how, within discursive restraints, essentialized gender constructions can be resisted to position youth as agentic sexual subjects.

The politics of gender representation and successful ageing in internet pornography

ABSTRACT The current cultural discourse of successful ageing tends to reinvigorate the graying population into young, energetic and healthy social beings through prescriptions of active sexuality. On TV, in movies and advertising, the term ‘sexy oldies’ has emerged to uphold this script about old people and their sexuality. However, what seems to be troubling about the (online) depiction of the ageing demographic is its rigid and homogenous portrayal of old people and their sexuality that misrepresents aspects of gender and age, especially when it refers in an unfavorable manner to the bodies of older women in the mass media. Delving into the sexual portrayal of old persons in internet pornography, this paper scrutinizes the politics and problematic of gender representation and successful ageing via a content analysis of a popular porn website, XVideos. I argue here that although the online appearance of sexy oldies transmits a positive cultural signal that affirms the existential significance of older women, it provides a sexist and ageist handling of their bodies, especially how their online identities are presented. The question then is about the need to redress this and seek more gender equal representations.

Approach-Avoidance pattern of attentional bias in individuals with high tendencies toward problematic Internet pornography use.

Attentional bias plays a vital role in the occurrence and development of addictive behaviors. However, little is known about attentional processes in problematic Internet pornography use (PIPU), and previous studies have reported mixed results. The current study examined the components of attentional processing to sexual stimuli using an exogenous cueing task designed to differentiate between attentional engagement and disengagement. Two different stimulus presentation times (100 and 500 ms) were used to present the pornographic and neutral images to differentiate the early and late stages of attentional bias. Individuals with high (n = 40) and low (n = 40) PIPU tendencies were compared. The results demonstrated that individuals with high tendencies toward PIPU showed enhanced attentional engagement with pornographic stimuli in the early stage of attentional processing (100 ms), followed by attentional avoidance in the late stages of attentional processing (500 ms). Moreover, the severity of PIPU symptoms was positively correlated with attentional engagement scores in the short picture-time trials (100 ms) and weakly negatively correlated with attentional disengagement scores in the long picture-time trials (500 ms). This approach–avoidance pattern of attentional biases is in line with a recent theoretical model that emphasizes that appetitive and aversive motivational processes jointly determine attentional bias.

How Come You No Hello Me When You Know Me So Well

How Come You No Hello Me When You Know Me So Well Nicole Hamer (bio) The day after George Floyd is kneeled on to death, neglected to death, viewed like internet pornography to death, like so many episodes of Black Mirror, the country finally realizes Black lives skip to a story loop. The deaths keep rolling through: graduations, picnics with coleslaw and the right potato salad, bedtime self-care routines, drives to a neighborhood store to score Tums, jogs down your street, inhaling air while outside or inside or staring sideways or while taking in a horizon bursting with pastel colors or gazing upward at a sedate blue sky acting as support cast for a white cloud main event. Keep on keeping on, the Black story loop keeps shuffling like those clouds. In between, we experience joy and beauty, and then reality gets caught and someone Black dies in an insidious manner, and we begin our lives anew: we read a few books, we hand gesture outrage over a latte or wine or Genesee Cream Ale. There are shirts to be worn with clever phrases that show our sensitivity to an issue, we try to hear people, really hear them (really is it a volume issue?), and arrange to be present at their anger venting sessions, and we march in the streets and realize we are all melting. Then sometime in the near future, we return to before times, or we remember our limitless well of outrage is depleted and we don’t have the strength to continue daily [End Page 87] outrage because that Netflix show won’t watch itself, and I play chess and it really speaks to me, so the loop continues and we feel the pain releasing through us like guilt, but we don’t release it like we once did, and our Black friends see us on Zoom and we pass through a great unease, but we wear our catchy black T-shirts with catchy phrases printed in white text and talk change and notice the time and Queen’s Gambit is on and gotta go. So the loop begins again, but I’m woke, with a small w and woke is the ultimate goal in some ways, isn’t it? And the world continues on the ultimate Black lives loop because that’s all it’s got time for and that’s all it can be because that seems all we can be, because someone else has to break her back cleaning up the world, Stacey Abrams is Queen. But we’ll provide the must try cheeses and so yes, our outrage is real. It just doesn’t last long, but didn’t you see my Instagram? It’s outraged! And then you think, isn’t a loop also a noose? [End Page 88] Nicole Hamer Nicole Hamer is a writer and photographer whose work has appeared in or is forthcoming in BITCH Magazine, GOOD Magazine, WBUR Arts & Culture, River Teeth, Hobart, and Foliate, among other publications. Her play, Clark and Kent, was performed on stage in Chicago. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction and has taught nonfiction writing at the undergraduate level. Nicole worked as a freelance writer and photographer in the Middle East. She has also worked in finance and publishing and produced independent documentaries for radio. She once threw a woman’s luggage off a train in the South of France, then lived to tell the story on stage for NPR affiliate NEPM’s Valley Voices. She is currently working on a book about Traveling Abroad While Black and a short documentary about James Baldwin’s time spent in a Parisian jail. Copyright © 2022 River Teeth

Desire thinking and craving as predictors of problematic Internet pornography use in women and men

IntroductionAccording to the recent adaptation of the I-PACE model, desire thinking and craving might be closely related to problematic Internet pornography use. The overall aim of the present study was to investigate the role of two components of desire thinking (imaginal prefiguration and verbal perseveration) and craving in problematic Internet pornography use. Furthermore, we examined gender differences in the underlying mechanism linking desire thinking to problematic Internet pornography use. MethodA total of 414 Italian adults (mean age = 27.55 years, SD = 6.13; age range = 18–58; 53.6 % men) participated in this study. Participants completed an online survey to assess problematic Internet pornography use, pornography craving, desire thinking and problematic Internet use. Path analyses and a multi-group approach were used to test the relationships among variables and to explore gender differences. ResultsImaginal prefiguration was associated to pornography craving which, in turn, was associated to verbal perseveration as proximal antecedent of problematic Internet pornography use, above and beyond the effect of age, relationship status, and problematic Internet use. Two paths significantly differed between men and women: the path between verbal perseveration and problematic Internet pornography, which for women was weaker and did not reach significance; and the path between problematic Internet use and problematic Internet pornography use that was not significant for women. ConclusionsIn line with the I-PACE model, the present study provided support for the potential role of desire thinking in problematic Internet pornography use as a specific Internet-use disorder and expanded the literature in the field by testing unexplored gender differences. Preventive and clinical implications are discussed.

Consumption of Internet Pornography by the Youth, its Consequences, and the Role of Parents

Consumption of Internet Pornography by the Youth, its Consequences, and the Role of Parents

Electrophysiological Evidence of Enhanced Processing of Novel Pornographic Images in Individuals With Tendencies Toward Problematic Internet Pornography Use.

Novelty seeking is regarded as a core feature in substance use disorders. However, few studies thus far have investigated this feature in problematic Internet pornography use (PIPU). The main aim of the present study was to examine group differences in electrophysiological activity associated with novelty processing in participants with high tendencies toward PIPU vs. low tendencies using event-related potentials (ERPs). Twenty-seven participants with high tendencies toward PIPU and 25 with low tendencies toward PIPU completed a modified three-stimulus oddball task while electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Participants were instructed to detect neutral target stimuli from distracting stimuli. The distracting stimuli contained a familiar sexual stimulus and a set of novel sexual stimuli. The novel-familiar difference waves were calculated to identify specific group difference in novelty effect. While both groups demonstrated a sustained novelty effect in the late positive potential (LPP) within the 500–800 ms time windows, the novelty effect was greater in the high tendencies toward PIPU group than in the low tendencies toward PIPU group. This result suggests that individuals with high tendencies toward PIPU allocate more attentional resources for novelty processing. Enhanced brain responding to novel sexual stimuli may facilitate pornographic consumption and play an essential role in the development and maintenance of PIPU.

Legal Studies Regarding Pornography On Live Streaming Through Social Media In The Era Of Digital Disruption

Technology in human life lately is increasingly needed and continues to develop. One form of development that occurs is the emergence of the Live Streaming feature. This feature appears on various social media platforms. There are even new applications that are intended to do Live Broadcasting—unfortunately, not only positive things that emerged due to this development. There have been several cybercrimes (cyber laws) that have negatively influenced internet users. Among them is the emergence of internet pornography. There is much Live Streaming that contains pornography in Live Broadcasting applications. The approach method used in this research is normative juridical, by examining the literature and reviewing positive law, which relates to the Law of Technology, Information and Electronic Transactions, and the Law of Pornography. This research will study the most appropriate way to regulate how Live Streaming containing pornography is viewed from Law Number 11 of 2008 jo. Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE act) and Law Number 44 of 2008 concerning Pornography (Pornography act) and actions that the Government can take to minimize pornographic content on Live Streaming on social media in Indonesia.

Lessons from France on the regulation of Internet pornography: How displacement effects, circumvention, and legislative scope may limit the efficacy of Article 23

AbstractIn 2020, the French Parliament passed an amendment that put the country at the forefront of attempts by democratic states to restrict young people's access to legal online pornography. This study examines the necessity for and potential efficacy of the amendment, Article 23, through a comparative analysis of emerging legislative and regulatory approaches in France, the UK, Canada, Utah, and Germany, and through a survey of French 15‐, 16‐, and 17‐year‐olds. Among other things, our survey shows that 41% of 15‐, 16‐, and 17‐year‐olds in France visit dedicated pornographic sites, on average monthly and often much more frequently. However, the range of media platforms via which French adolescents are exposed to pornography, their knowledge about technologies that could circumvent age verification, and the power, scope, and implementation of Article 23 may limit the legislation's efficacy. Our findings suggest the mechanisms that may limit its efficacy include media displacement, socio‐technical circumvention, and the Article's relatively broad and imprecise nature. This study has implications for legislators and regulators in democratic countries beyond France as they too grapple with the challenges of regulating online pornography. Furthermore, it extends the often contradictory and/or limited evidence that exists about adolescents' consumption of pornography.

Problematic Internet Pornography Use and Psychological Distress among Emerging Adults in Malaysia: Gender as a Moderator.

Internet pornography use (IPU) refers to Internet-based sexually explicit materials that are ultimately used to elicit sexual feelings or thoughts. The accessibility of Internet pornography could lead to excessive exposure to pornographic messages, posing a risk to heavy users’ psychological health. This paper offers a preliminary understanding of the relationship between Internet pornography use and psychological distress among emerging adults and the moderating role of gender in the association. This cross-sectional study has taken a purposive sampling approach to recruit 144 emerging adult pornography users via the online survey method. The results indicated that males reported having more problematic Internet pornography use, and there were no gender differences in psychological distress. Meanwhile, gender is a significant moderator between Internet pornography use and psychological distress. The females were found to be more psychologically affected by their problematic Internet pornography use than the males. Overall, this study has provided a novel finding of the moderating role of gender in problematic Internet pornography use and psychological distress in the Malaysian context. This study also calls for a gender-focused sexual health programme for Malaysian emerging adults. Furthermore, the scores of problematic IPU in this study raise a concern over the effectiveness of current sex education in Malaysia. The scores may highlight the need to provide education targeting Internet pornography use.

Mind the Gap: Internet Pornography Exposure, Influence and Problematic Viewing Amongst Emerging Adults

IntroductionCharacterised by both exploration and engagement in risky behaviours, late adolescence and emerging adulthood are periods of particular vulnerability to dysregulated behaviours. One such behaviour less well explored is that of problematic Internet pornography (IP) viewing, despite viewing explicit online material becoming increasingly pervasive and normative.MethodIn 2020, 385 (270 females, 110 males) Australian undergraduate students (aged 17–25 years) completed an online survey assessing exposure to IP, affective and cognitive responses to IP, IP-related sexual beliefs, self-assessed problematic IP viewing and key psychological vulnerability factors. Correlational and regression analyses were utilised to assess the relationships between variables.ResultsMost male (57.3%) and female (33.7%) respondents recalled their first exposure to IP as occurring between 12 and 14 years; however, 28.2% of males and 23.7% females recalled their exposure as occurring between 9 and 11 years, and a small proportion were exposed even earlier. Higher IP viewing frequency, positive affective responses to IP at current exposure, elevated sexual impulsivity and the endorsement of IP-related sexual beliefs were all found to be associated with self-assessed problematic IP viewing.ConclusionsFindings suggest that both person and situational factors may contribute to problematic IP viewing patterns. IP viewing may also be shaping the sexual beliefs and behaviours of some viewers.Policy ImplicationsThere is little consensus on the factors that may lead IP viewing to become problematic, which limits the ability of clinicians to identify more susceptible individuals. These findings suggest that in addition to dysregulation factors such as sexual impulsivity, dissociation and depression, affective responses to IP and IP-related beliefs may also be important to consider when assessing for whom IP viewing may become problematic.

Assessment of attitudes toward Internet pornography in emerging adults using the Internet Pornography Questionnaire

Research suggests that Internet pornography (IP) plays an important role in the lives of emerging adults, particularly when it comes to their attitudes and beliefs about sex. However, surprisingly little work has explicitly examined attitudes toward IP among this population. Even fewer studies have assessed the relationship between such attitudes and other aspects of emerging adults' beliefs about sex, especially those that contribute to the persistence of sexual violence. To fill this gap, we investigated the relationship between emerging adults’ attitudes toward IP and rape myth acceptance using the Internet Pornography Questionnaire (IPQ), a new self-report measure designed to evaluate IP consumption patterns, attitudes toward IP, and knowledge about IP in adults. Descriptive analyses indicate emerging adults in this study endorsed diverse and sometimes contradictory patterns of attitudes toward IP. Specifically, participants reported high agreement with both negative and positive statements about IP. After controlling for gender, we found that both positive and neutral attitudes about IP (and not frequency of pornography masturbation) predicted rape myth acceptance, such that more positive or more neutral attitudes were associated with higher rape myth acceptance. Moreover, participants who demonstrated more accurate knowledge about IP endorsed rape myths at significantly lower levels. Study limitation and directions for future research and sexual violence prevention are discussed.

Special Report: Be Prepared to Address Technological Addictions in Psychiatric Practice

Special Report: Be Prepared to Address Technological Addictions in Psychiatric Practice

Beyond the Screen: Violence and Aggression towards Women within an Excepted Online Space

This theoretical review explores the possibility that the consumption of internet pornography (IP) represents a credible risk factor in the perpetration of aggression and violence against women. Sexual violence, abuse, and degradation of women is commonly depicted in mainstream heterosexual IP. Despite the violent tenor, the effect this material may have on beliefs, attitudes and behaviors is understudied, as are the reasons why violent and degrading IP is so widely viewed, enjoyed, and accepted. Both theory and empirical findings support the contention that depictions of violence in IP may contribute to real world aggression and violence against women, with two relevant spheres of inquiry proposed in this theoretical review. The first considers IP as a ‘zone of cultural exception’, in which the perpetration of violent and degrading acts against women are eroticized and celebrated, despite such behaviors being considered antisocial in wider society. It is suggested that this excepted status is enabled by the operation of the third person effect to negate the detrimental effects of IP. The second explores the objectification and dehumanization of women in IP and the use of moral disengagement by viewers to enable their disavowal of any harm in the depicted violence.

Internet Pornography Use Among Medical Students in India: Extent and Effect

Background: Medical students are more susceptible to stress associated with long working hours, arduous studies, and living alone away from the home, which may affect their psychological well-being. They may indulge in the use of internet and pornography to ameliorate their stress. Internet is one of the main sources of pornographic content as it is easily available, affordable, and accessible. Objective: The current study seeks to quantitatively estimate the extent of internet addiction and pornography use among medical students in India, and its effect on their general well-being. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in a medical college in North India involving undergraduate (including interns) and postgraduate medical students. Those using internet for porn use were assessed using a semi-structured sociodemographic questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire 30, WHO Quality of Life Index (WHOQOL)-BREF, and Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Results: A total of 393 medical students who agreed on their pornography internet usage were recruited for the study. Problematic pornography internet usage (moderate and 0severe IAT scores) was seen in 11% (80) of the participants. Male and married students were more likely to be problematic users. The mean duration of pornography use was 8.02±6.32 h/week. The time spent on pornography use positively correlated with IAT and General Health Questionnaire scores, whereas it negatively correlated with WHOQOL-BREF scores. Conclusions: Internet pornography use is significantly prevalent amongst medical students in India. As the duration of pornography use increases, general health measures and quality of life decrease, which may impact their well-being and academic performance.

An Investigation into the Effectiveness of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Curbing Teenage Pregnancies among Secondary School Girls: a Case of Five Selected Secondary Schools in Samfya District of Luapula Province

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is a rights-based approach to comprehensive sexuality education which seeks to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values which they need to determine and enjoy their sexuality physically and emotionally while the primary goal of the school-based sexuality education programme is to build on knowledge, skills and behaviours thus enabling young people to make responsible and safe choices as well as prepare them for sexually healthy adulthood. Learners need to be aware of the different kinds of development and the impact they have on their lives such as globalization, arrival of new population groups with different cultural and religious backgrounds, the rapid spread of new media, particularly the internet, internet pornography and mobile phone technology, the emergence of HIV and AIDS and increasing concerns about STIs. Thus, the purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of comprehensive sexuality education on curbing teenage pregnancies among secondary school girls in Samfya district of Luapula Province. The study employed a mixed method paradigm of an embedded method and descriptive survey design that used purposive and simple random sampling to select 5 Head teachers, 5 Guidance and counselling teachers, 20 teachers, 10 parents and 60 learners. Data was obtained from respondents by means of interviews, questionnaires and classroom observation schedules. Frequency, percentages, tables, graphs and pie-charts were used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data obtained. Data was then analyzed by use of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) computer package. The findings revealed poor implementation and teaching of comprehensive sexuality education and lack of qualified guidance and counselling teachers in schools.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELECTED SEX-RELATED ACTIVITIES AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCEOF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KAKAMEGA CENTRAL SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Educationists have observed that candidates’ summative scores in their exams correlates strongly with their continuous assessment’s tests in their former classes. They allege that although early sexual debut may not be a direct course of poor academic performance, higher educational aspiration is associated with postponement of sexually related activities. This study sought to determine the degree to which exposure to pre-marital sex activities influences academic achievements of secondary school pupils in Kakamega Central Sub-County. The study employed Psychosocial Theory of Personality development to support its findings. It adopted an ex-post facto research design to collect both quantitative and the qualitative data. A total of 4073 respondents consisting of 28 principals, 28 Heads of Department Guidance and Counseling and 4017 students participated. It used purposive sampling to select 28 principals and 28 Heads of Guidance and Counseling while Yamane (1967) formular was used to select 364 learners who were stratified according to their school populations. Questionnaires, Interview Schedules were used as research instruments. Half - split - half technique was used to test reliability of the instrument’s items on the questionnaire to yield a Cronbach’s alfa value of r = 0.85. Quantitative data was presented in frequency counts. Regression analysis tested relationship at 0.05 precision level. The results showed that Pornography from You Tube influenced academic performance by 53.2% (r = .532, P= .038); Pornographic literature and pictures by 41.0% (r = .410, P= .003) while soap operas influence was 50.8% (r = .508, P= .001). The study concluded that the most influential Internet Pornography that affect academic achievements of secondary schools’ students in Kakamega Central Sub-County are googled from You Tube followed by soap operas and Pornographic literature and pictures in that order. It was recommended that the government and parents be asked to participate in the efforts to block, prevent and advive learners on influences of sex related activities found online.

QEEG-based Brain Mapping of Internet Pornography Addicted Adolescents

The Indonesian government for many years has tried to protect the public from the dangers of pornography by blocking various sites. Although various efforts have been made to block access to pornography, a report from the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection mentioned that 97% of Indonesian teens were exposed to pornography from the internet. In order to increase awareness, especially in the addiction phase, scientific evidences showing the bad effects of pornography addiction is needed. In this study, 15 teens addicted to internet pornography underwent brain mapping using electroencephalography (EEG) in a resting state for approximately 20 minutes. The data were processed using a quantitative EEG (QEEG) approach, especially Fast Fourrier Transform (FFT) by first removing all artifacts on the electroencephalogram during recording. The analysis focused on the delta wave in the forebrain, showing the dominance of the prefrontal cortex, which has implications for cognitive function decline, especially the braking system among these teens addicted to internet pornography. The decline in cognitive function causes teens to lose the ability to determine what is right and wrong or refrain from doing wrong. Based on the results, efforts to educate teens about the dangers of pornography addiction need to be further promoted.