Why porn can create addiction among young people.

In the era of technological consumption, pornography has emerged as another product for young and not so young. There are already studies that date the age of onset of viewing pornography at age 12, although there are differences between boys and girls.

Now that one of the great cult series of all time, Game of Thrones, has ended , it should be noted that according to pornographic content websites such as Pornhub, the flow of visits to these pages was considerably reduced, up to 5%, while a new chapter of this popular series was broadcast, which included scenes of erotic film libraries.

Pornographic content sells, especially because there are consumers willing to cram.

Brain consequences

As we explain below, published studies have already shown how the consumption of pornographic content can have consequences at the brain level, and consumers behave so that they develop addictive behaviors caused by the huge amounts of dopamine released during viewing. The Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that makes people feel happy, satisfied, motivated. It is also related to desire and sexual appetite.

We live in an eroticized society and social media exposure. It is common, while surfing the web, to be exposed to different advertisements of sexual content, so you can be both active and passive consumers of these images.

Anxiety and lack of control

There are those who feel they have control and are responsible for the consumption and the way they are influenced by these contents, but the truth is that not everyone gets it, so they can be negatively influenced by showing anxiety reactions and loss of control.

But why do today's youth debut as consumers of pornography? The answer is not only the search for this described pleasure but also learning. There are those who consume content, also called "for adults", alone, and others in the company. There are couples who view it as a group with the desire to experience new sensations: in some cases, they have reported improvements in communication and sexual satisfaction, while others said that interest in the couple was affected, increased insecurity and created unrealistic expectations. within the couple

As other studies have pointed out, the consumption of pornography can become an addiction that, far from being harmless, can have serious negative consequences for the couple, even becoming a cause of the rupture . Another of the negative effects described, especially in men, is the contribution to the acceptance of violence against women by images in which violent scenes are degraded or shown against them.

One of the negative effects described, especially in men, is the contribution to the acceptance of violence against women by images in which they are degraded or violent scenes against them are shown. 

Many are young people who start their sexual relations in an increasingly early way. This sometimes leads them to need to experience new sensations taking as a model what is transmitted by the pornographic industry.

Fashion that "matters" porn

One of the clearest examples we can observe is the "imported" fashion of genital shaving porn. It is found that pubic hair has a protective function against infections. However, the fashion of vulvas and genitals is rare in our society, and more among young people, in imitation of what is seen in any of these adult videos.

Another example is the scarce use of the male condom that can be seen in the scenes of pornographic films, thus promoting unprotected sex, so that those young habitual consumers of pornography use less the condom as a contraceptive method.

Therefore, we cannot ignore that pornography has an important social influence. One of the ways to deal with these unhealthy behaviors in sexuality is through sexual education, programs aimed at young people where their concerns about sex are addressed and issues rooted in the social imaginary are demystified.

This responsibility must be shared by family, school, and society if we want to get sexually competent young people.