On May 3, the state of Utah, in the United States, launched a new law (in English) that requires any commercial entity that provides Internet pornographic material, or any other content harmful to minors, to verify the age of people who want to enter their sites. The measure is intended to protect minors from access to pornography, a problem that until now has been little taken into account by most governments.
In response to this new law, various pornographic websites have decided to “protest” in various ways against state authorities, thus showing that the pornographic industry is interested in being able to reach minors. In fact, most of these sites allow free access to anyone; only a few have a verification page with a “yes, I’m of legal age” button, which is easy to circumvent.
Although pornography has a number of profoundly negative effects on people, especially adolescents and children, little has been done so far to restrict or counteract the power of this industry.
These are seven facts that every believing parent should know about the problem of access to pornography in minors:
1. Three out of four teens have viewed pornography.
According to data provided by a survey (in English) carried out in the United States by Common Sense Media at the end of last year, 73% of those surveyed (between thirteen and seventeen years old) have consumed some type of pornographic material. 24% say they have never seen pornography and the rest refused to answer or said they were not sure of their answer. The report confirms that the vast majority of adolescents have access to pornography through the Internet.
2. The first consumption of pornography happens at a very young age.
Regarding the age of first consumption, the average is twelve years, although 15% of those surveyed admitted that they saw pornography before they were ten years old.
In 2019, the United States National Institutes of Health had reported (in English) that the average age of first consumption of pornography was fourteen years old. This demonstrates that access to explicit sexual material in that country occurs at an increasingly younger age.
Minors, like all people, need Jesus to be free from pornography and the attacks of this satanic industry.
On the other hand, the Spanish Data Protection Agency reported in 2021 that the average age of access to pornography among minors in Spain was eight years.
3. Most minors have accidentally viewed pornography.
The same Common Sense survey ensures that more than half of adolescents (58%) have entered pornographic sites accidentally.
According to some adolescents, they came to these pages after searching the Internet for a phrase or name they heard from their peers, or because some of them shared explicit content (online or in person). But many other times, they were just browsing the internet.
Of this percentage, half acknowledged that they also intentionally searched for pornography, although the report does not clarify whether it was from accidental consumption or not. The other half, the group of those who have consumed only accidentally, it is made up mostly of “religious” people. That is, those who did not continue to search for pornography after they were exposed by mistake or against their will are adolescents who define themselves as “faith-committed.”
4. Social networks are the second largest gateway to pornography.
After consumption through adult sites (usually reached by search engines), social networks are the most common channel for accessing pornographic material.
38% of adolescents did so through apps such as TikTok, Instagram or Reddit, and 34% through video platforms such as YouTube. It is evident that these platforms and applications, widely used by adolescents, represent serious dangers to their livesincluding access to pornography.
5. Pornography has become a source of false information for adolescents.
45% of those consulted by Common Sense said that pornography had given them “useful information.” The majority of minors who view explicit sexual material do so out of curiosity or to learn sexual behavior. However, only 27% of users think that pornography accurately portrays the sexual act.
6. Most teens do not believe that consuming pornography is harmful.
According to the cited report, the attitude of adolescents towards pornography is contradictory. 50% admitted to feeling guilty or ashamed after viewing sexually explicit content, especially those who did so accidentally, but only 41% of the total believe that viewing pornography is wrong. In fact, seven in ten teens said they feel “okay” with the amount of pornography they see or have seen on the Internet.
7. Aggressive sexual behaviors have increased among minors with the rise of pornography.
One in two adolescents admits that violence and negative stereotypes are present in the pornographic content they have viewed. Those who watch intentionally and regularly are the most likely to search for explicit material that contains aggressive and violent scenes.
The pornographic industry seems like a big enemy, but the transformative power of the gospel is greater
The relationship between the violent behavior of adolescents and their consumption of pornographic material is difficult to determine. Perhaps minors consume aggressive content because they come from aggressive backgrounds, or perhaps the consumption of pornography normalizes violent behavior. In any case, the data shows that there is a correlation between behavior and consumption.
For example, at the end of 2021, the Spanish Attorney General’s Office issued an annual report in which he warned that sexual crimes committed by minors had grown by 58% compared to the previous year in that country. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the crimes were related to the early consumption of pornography that normalizes violent behavior.
freedom in the gospel
Although most of the figures presented are based on studies carried out in the United States, these data confirm that the vast majority of adolescents have access to pornography and at an increasingly younger age, which is also true in the rest of the world. Hispanic world.
The new generations grow up in a culture that has normalized this sin And the consequences are already starting to show. What’s worse is that many of the sequels are yet to be seen. Meanwhile, the pornographic industry generates so much profit that it has achieved a power unsuspected until a few decades ago, power that allows it to continue to function despite its terrible effects. The outlook is sad and discouraging, but there is a solution: the gospel.
Minors, like all people, need Jesus to be free from pornography and from the attacks of this satanic industry. God transforms the hearts of all those who approach in repentance and faith, regardless of their age or condition. But not only children need the gospel, but also families. The message of Christ transforms us and enables us to develop families that live according to his Word, in joy and freedom, giving glory to God in everything. The pornographic industry seems like a big enemy, but the transformative power of the gospel is greater.