Online pornographic content is for adults only… at least in theory. In reality, we cannot ignore that minors have access to it, intentionally or not. Faced with this reality, it becomes essential to understand the implications of this widespread exposure, establish regulations and implement preventive measures to preserve the health and well-being of children and adolescents.
For minors, first exposure to pornographic content occurs mostly involuntarily. According to a survey conducted by CommensMedia in 2022 among 1,358 American adolescents aged 13 to 17, more than half (58%) were accidentally exposed to their first pornographic image or video online. Consultation of this content can also become voluntary and habitual among certain adolescents, as shown by an ARCOM investigation of May 2023, conducted on a sample of 25,000 French individuals. This work reveals in particular that more than half of 12-year-old boys and 65% of young men aged 16-17 visit pornographic sites every month.
A complex assessment of the impacts on sociosexual behavior
But what impact does viewing this content have on young people? Much research in psychology attempts to answer this question. For example, researchers have analyzed pornographic scripts to determine whether the content can have an impact on several sociosexual dimensions.
Regarding aggressive sexual behavior, a recent synthesis of the literature thus analyzes data from 27 studies covering, in total, 16,200 minors aged 4 to 18 years. This work aimed to evaluate the link between exposure to sexual content and the appearance of inappropriate sexual behaviors corresponding to invasive sexual concerns, such as asking insistent and repeated questions about sex; or behaviors of sexual aggression and coercion, such as sexual harassment or touching private parts in public. Researchers conclude that children and adolescents exposed to non-violent pornographic content are 1.5 times more likely to engage in inappropriate sexual behaviors than those who are not exposed. And when they are exposed to violent content, they are 2.5 times more likely to engage in these behaviors compared to those who have not been exposed to it.
Concerning gender stereotypes, some studies show a link between the consumption of pornographic content and the sexual objectification of women, that is to say the mechanism which consists of reducing women to the status of objects and in particular to their sexual characteristics. However, attitudes of objectification among individuals have been identified as one of the precursors of sexist and sexual violence, as indicated by a 2020 American study. As for other sociosexual behaviors, a review of the literature indicates that adolescent pornography consumption is moderately associated with a greater likelihood of having unprotected sex and a greater likelihood of having multiple short-term sexual partners. In contrast, viewing sexual content does not appear to be associated with lower quality body satisfaction, that is, dissatisfaction with physical appearance or genital size, a criticism frequently associated with viewing pornography.
Do young people imitate sexual scripts from porn?
However, demonstrating the deleterious impact of pornography on the sociosexual behavior of young people is complex, particularly among adolescents. Engaging in social learning theories by arguing that adolescents absorb and imitate sexual scripts from porn is appealing, but this completely simplifies the sociosexual behaviors of young people. Furthermore, a large majority of studies evaluate associations that do not make it possible to determine the extent to which pornographic viewing among adolescents induces specific sociosexual behaviors. It could be possible that it is, on the contrary, sociosexual behaviors which determine the viewing choice, or even that these two attitudes influence each other. Not to mention that the sociosexual behaviors of adolescents can be influenced by many other variablessuch as sexual norms or adherence to the principles of a religion.
Currently, there is no consensus within the scientific community on pornography addiction. This disorder is not listed in disease classifications such as the DSM5 or ICD11. Although the suffering of people confronted with compulsive and excessive consumption of pornography is recognized, researchers currently prefer to consider this problematic use as a component of a compulsive sexual behavior disorder, which is also integrated into the ICD11. However, the notion of pornography addiction is widely used in the media. A scientific publication published in February 2024 sheds interesting light by suggesting that the narrative of pornography addiction is used by adults as a means of exercising social control over young people’s sexuality, as well as the norms surrounding sex and sexuality. reproduction in general.
Protecting minors while preserving individual freedoms
When considering the control of pornography, questions of morality come into conflict with reality. Of course, adults would like to prevent minors from being involuntarily or voluntarily exposed to pornographic content. One way to protect them is to impose online age verification aimed at restricting access to certain content. This approach is based on several solutions, each with its advantages and disadvantages. One of the most direct methods is explicit authentication, which requires the user to prove their age through often intrusive means, such as scanning identity documents or using biometrics. This solution raises numerous concerns in terms of individual freedom. Indeed, the collection and storage of sensitive data presents a risk of blackmail or intrusion into the private lives of individuals, not to mention the constant threat of data leaks.
Another avenue explored is that of trusted third parties. The principle is relatively simple: instead of directly providing their personal information to the requesting site, the user proves their age via an intermediary service which only attests to the veracity of the age information, without sharing other data. This system is based on trust in these entities, which must be rigorously selected and regulated to guarantee their reliability. But can we completely trust these intermediaries, both to prevent minors from passing through and to ensure our safety? Faced with these challenges, the National Commission for Information Technology and Liberties and the Center of expertise in digital regulation proposed a proof of concept to reduce this need for trust in third parties, by minimizing the information they access.
Protection of minors from pornography: overcoming techno-solutionism
Online age verification is a complex subject that requires careful consideration of individual rights and freedoms. If the protection of minors remains a priority, it is imperative to choose technological solutions that are balanced, secure and respectful of privacy. A perfect filter does not exist, any technological solution will hinder legitimate users and endanger others. Techno-solutionism is far from being THE solution to this problem. Especially since pornographic content is not only present on adult sites like Pornhub or Xvideos.
For example, in the world of Roblox, certain games called “condos” allow the creation of pornographic scenes with avatars. On Discord, rooms are specifically dedicated to pornographic content. On these platforms, age verification appears complicated, especially since minors have already largely invested in these spaces. It then appears necessary to combine these verification solutions with prevention. Several studies attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention interventions to exposure to content, adapted to the age of the students. This approach, which is similar to media education, would give minors the means to protect themselves, to understand this form of media content with a critical vision and to understand the erroneous representations of reality conveyed in these media.
* Séverine Erhel is a lecturer in cognitive psychology and ergonomics at Rennes II University, Olivier Blazy is a professor in cybersecurity at École Polytechnique.
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