The Pornography Problem

Porn is almost unavoidable online, and the problem is only getting worse

To ask seventy young adults what they think about pornography is to receive seventy-one different opinions. We saw this first-hand when talking to groups of young women and men in Philadelphia. The discussion was earnest, eye-opening, and unsettling. It is clear that the problems that pornography present have become so much more complicated, and even more difficult to address. 

A generation that was raised on social media has a unique experience when it comes to internet pornography. Young adults today have near limitless access to sexually explicit content, but they spend little time thinking about what that access means for themselves or their relationships. Most young people we talked to do not believe pornography is a pervasive moral problem in society. But there’s a good deal of ambivalence about it as well. In their own lives, many young people struggle with where to draw line. 

Pornography is Everywhere 

On the Internet, pornography is everywhere. A recent BYU report estimated tha…