Teen Abuse and Porn

Child sexual abuse has devastating repercussions, leaving survivors suffering from depression, anxiety, eating disorders (anorexia and binge eating disorder), insomnia (insomnia), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related conditions. Unfortunately, survivors may resort to drugs and alcohol or porn as means of escape; porn can temporarily dull emotional pain of traumatized memories which is why so many survivors become addicted to its pleasure “high”, making breaking this habit an impossible goal.

Pornography often sends negative messages about sexuality and relationships to teenagers that can undermine their capacity for healthy relationships. Pornography often portrays mutual consent and safe sex as non-essential aspects, sexual acts that are aggressive are acceptable as being beautiful, while women become objects of sexual and other kinds of power.

Horrifyingly, the Internet is full of sexually explicit images and videos depicting children being sexually exploited or abused – often by adults – which are traumatizing, toxic and illegal. Offenders share this material online like wildfire; an estimate from Butner Federal Prison’s Sex Offender Treatment Program found that 8 out of 10 Child Pornographers admitted having actually sexual abused victims as part of their collection of child pornography.

This research resonates with what frontline therapists in Ireland are witnessing from young people suffering the adverse consequences of pornography use. Adolescent boys who consume porn are more prone to violence and aggression and seek power over women more readily; furthermore they tolerate emotional or physical abuse from peers or adults more readily than non-consumers of porn.