- Question
Should pornography be banned for people under 18?
Should under-18s be barred from accessing pornography? This entry sets out the two positions on the question — that minors should be free to explore their sexuality, and that porn is harmful and should be banned for minors.
Position 1 of 2
Read this position →No, minors should be allowed to explore sexuality
Claims that ALL pornography is harmful to minors are uninformed. It is natural for young people to explore their sexuality; pornography is one way they can do that.
- Children are able to discover their sexual preferences
- Puberty and sexual desires begin before 18 years old
- Minors will find more obscure or extreme porn which is not covered by the ban
- Banning pornography makes it seem like forbidden fruit
- A porn ban would teach harmful sexual shame
- Normalising pornography would create more progressive, realistic porn
Position 2 of 2
Read this position →Yes, porn is harmful and misleading and should be banned for minors
Pornography is desensitizing and potentially addictive. People under the age of 18 are not capable of making adult decisions regarding the content they consume and should be protected from harmful images.