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.
Minors will find more obscure or extreme porn which is not covered by the ban
A porn ban would not be able to cover all pornography on the internet, and it is inevitable that minors would search for it. Minors would end up finding obscure, potentially violent pornography deeper in the web which would be even more harmful.
Banning pornography makes it seem like forbidden fruit
Banning porn makes something that seemed commonplace much more appealing and cool. Teenagers are exceptionally susceptible to this type of thought because they are attracted to high-excitement activities.
Sexual shame can cause psychosexual damage to a young person. Banning pornography could further the message that sex is unclean or unnatural, which is not true.
Puberty and sexual desires begin before 18 years old
Children begin the transition into adulthood through puberty way before they are 18. Therefore, they should be able to fulfill this sexual desire and watch pornography, like any other sexually active individual.
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.
Pornography promotes sexist and sexually objectifying behavior
Sexualized representations of women in pornography encourage girls to see themselves solely in sexual terms and equate their self-worth with narrow standards of physical attractiveness. Exposure also affects the way men treat women, causing them to adopt a sexually objectifying attitude.
Porn is linked to sexual violence perpetration/victimization
Exposure to pornography makes male children more likely to engage in sexual aggression and rape-supportive behavior later on. It also increases girls’ vulnerability to violence and makes them more likely to become victims of sexual violence.
Children can experience emotional distress because of pornography
Children and adolescents may be shocked or disturbed by premature or inadvertent encounters with sexually explicit material. Pornography should be banned for under 18 to prevent any possible emotional distress.
Children are at high risk of porn addiction because of their vulnerability to the addictive nature of the graphic images in pornography. Porn addiction negatively affects brain development, behavior, performance at school, and mental health. It may even cause sexual dysfunction in the future.
