I just read a rather large article on the cover the Sunday New York Times Review section about pornography and adolescents that basically summarized multiple studies as inconclusive at best. I have a first hand perspective having seen the effects of premature exposure to porn first hand in clinical practice with sex addiction. Pornography is addictive and harmful, especially to adolescents and young adults. I say this because I have listened to countless stories of desensitization and trouble with intimacy. Desensitization basically means that normal, healthy sex is boring and sometimes nearly impossible for people whose neurology has changed as a result of overexposure to porn. Watching more and more porn leads some people to view harder, stranger, and rougher material as their dopamine system seeks greater stimulation.
As a Dutch study does suggest, “when teens watch porn they tend to be more dissatisfied with their sexual lives. This effect is not really a strong effect though. And teens with more sexual experience didn’t show this effect at all.” In my experience, this effect is strong in some, especially those prone to addiction. And it’s harder to study this effect in the U.S because Universities are loath to sanction studies with dubious ethics and also because we tend to be less liberal around teenage sexuality creating a propensity to study if pornography causes kids to have sex earlier as opposed to the quality of their relationship experiences.
Parents: please limit adolescent exposure to porn if at all possible. I strongly agree with researchers arguments to talk about sex, sexuality, and porn with your children. The more comfortable you are as an adult around sex and sexuality, the easier it will be for your children to navigate these increasingly challenging waters in the 21st century!