For many teenagers, pornography is one of the earliest and most influential introductions to ideas about sex, relationships, and bodies. Often accessed well before students receive any formal education on topics like consent, communication, or intimacy, pornography has become a significant part of how young people form beliefs about what sex looks like and what is expected of them in sexual situations.
The growing presence of pornography in adolescents’ lives has sparked ongoing debate about its effects. Some researchers and health professionals warn that exposure to porn, particularly violent or degrading content, may lead to unrealistic expectations about sex, body image issues, and relationship dissatisfaction. Others, however, argue that porn itself is not inherently harmful, and that moral panic or stigma around viewing sexual content may be more damaging than the act of watching porn itself.
At LM, many students report being exposed to pornography at a young age, often in middle school. When asked at what age they believe most teens first encounter porn, nearly every student interviewed estimated somewhere between eleven and fourteen years old. “I feel like around thirteen-fourteen most people are exposed to it and I would say that is true for the people around me,” said Abby Donovan ’26. Joe O’Gara ’26 said he was exposed “probably [around] age eleven from the bus in middle school, [by] the upper kids.”
Dọtun Okùnadé ’25 described his own experience with early exposure. “Probably around eighth grade…I remember this one time I was on the bus and this kid said, ‘oh, we should go look at this link.’ I thought it was a gaming link. So I went there. It was people having sex.”
Research supports these observations. A 2021 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that by age 14, 88.2% of heterosexual cisgender boys and 39.4% of heterosexual cisgender girls had viewed pornography. The study also found that boys reported watching porn for about 1.3 to 2 hours per week, while girls reported significantly less, typically under one hour per week.
How teens are accessing pornography has also changed significantly in recent years, largely due to the rise of smartphones and private internet access. While home computers and laptops were once the most common way people found explicit content, research now shows that the majority of adolescents use smartphones to view porn because of how easily accessible and discreet mobile browsing has become. Okùnadé reflected on the role of technology in early exposure, saying, “I didn’t have a phone until I was 13…and if I did have a phone [when I was] younger, it was really monitored.” Other students shared that viewing often happens alone, on personal devices, making parental monitoring or restrictions challenging. A 2023 report from Common Sense Media similarly found that smartphones are now the primary device for accessing online pornography among teens, with many reporting that they first encountered explicit content through links shared by peers or stumbled upon it during unsupervised internet use.
When asked whether they believe pornography shapes how teens view sex and relationships, many LM students expressed concern that porn can promote harmful or unrealistic expectations. “I think that people have harsher views on what sex should be like,” said Brigid San Chirico ’26. “That it’s something aggressive, and sometimes even violent, and that can have a really damaging view for both men and women who are involved in actually having sex and having romantic relationships.” she continued.
“I think that there are guys that expect a lot more sexually due to porn,” Donavon said. Cate Cantu ’26 shared, “I think some people might have expectations that aren’t reality because porn is fake.”
These concerns are reflected in a 2013 study published in the Journal of Communication that reported that men who watch more pornography are more likely to hold hostile gender stereotypes and believe rape myths (false beliefs such as that women enjoy or provoke sexual violence.) Other studies have found that mainstream pornography often depicts aggression, coercion, and dominance, and that repeated exposure to these portrayals can influence beliefs about what is typical or acceptable in sexual relationships.
Students also described feeling direct social pressure to engage in sexual behaviors they associated with pornography. When asked whether they or someone they know had felt pressured to do something sexually because of what is portrayed in porn, several students said yes. San Chirico said, “I’ve heard a lot about choking recently and how it’s become more prevalent.”
A 2019 meta-analysis published in The Journal of Sex Research found that participants who reported viewing rough sex in pornography were more likely to engage in such behaviors in their own lives, sometimes without clear discussions about consent.
Alongside these concerns, many students said they believe porn promotes unrealistic ideas about how bodies should look. “Yes because it idealizes people who have more perfect bodies or what society says is perfect when that’s not reality, especially not at this age,” Donavon said. “Obviously how people’s bodies actually look is not probably not represented in porn or it’s just an unrealistic view of the world,” said Sam Bergheiser ’25.
San Chirico commented, “I think it can be from social media, but especially with porn, because they’re naked most of the time. It can lead to, especially for women, a harmful view that I have to be skinny in order for men to want me, or in order to be like an object of desires.”
Several studies support these concerns, including a 2018 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, which found that adolescent girls who viewed pornography were more likely to report poor body image, anxiety, and depression.
In some cases, studies suggest that pornography may have positive or neutral effects. A 2016 study in the International Journal of Sexual Health found that some participants reported higher sexual satisfaction and better communication with partners about their desires when pornography use was consensual and openly discussed. Other research has shown that couples who watch porn together may experience greater relationship satisfaction when their viewing is mutually agreed upon.
Some experts argue that focusing on the dangers of porn without acknowledging these findings can contribute to unnecessary stigma. According to the Kinsey Institute, feelings of shame about viewing pornography, often shaped by cultural or moral attitudes, may predict psychological distress more strongly than viewing behavior itself. This has led some researchers to suggest that the social stigma surrounding porn may be more damaging than the content itself.
Dr. Emily Rothman, a researcher on adolescent sexual health at Boston University, has argued that while porn is not designed to be educational, condemning it outright may prevent meaningful conversations about sex. Instead, Rothman and others advocate for media literacy approaches that encourage young people to think critically about the sexual content they encounter, rather than relying on scare tactics or blanket warnings.
Students at LM said they notice the effects of stigma in the way porn is discussed- or avoided, among their peers. “I think guys are more open about watching it than girls are, but generally speaking I think it is not a talked about thing because a lot of people think the other person they are with is not watching it, or it is an uncomfortable thing to talk about,” Donavon said.
“I think with girls, it’s a lot more of a secret, because we’re kind of told that for girls, it’s kind of gross to watch it or more shameful to watch it than guys are,” Alexa Saler ’25 shared. “There’s so much shame around it, especially for girls. Unless it’s about pleasing men, girls aren’t really allowed to talk about their own sexuality,” said San Chirico.
When asked whether porn education should be included in health class, most students said they believe it should be. “Just helpful to have that knowledge,” Ogera said. “I think so. It’s the same idea as sex education. Everyone’s going to talk about it or experience it at some point. It’s inevitable, so you might as well educate people about the dangers of it,” Bergheiser added. Okùnadé noted, “Yeah, definitely, but to be fair, I think more than a discussion is to be had. I think it’s also on the part of parents.”
The debate over pornography’s influence on teens remains far from settled. Some studies emphasize the risks of aggressive behaviors, body dissatisfaction, and addiction, while others highlight the role of stigma, shame, and lack of education as key factors in negative experiences. Many researchers argue that the real issue is not whether teens watch porn, but whether they have the tools to understand and critically engage with what they’re seeing.
As research continues and conversations evolve, one thing remains clear: pornography is playing a major role in how many young people learn about sex. Whether that influence is harmful, harmless, or something in between may depend not just on what they are watching, but on whether anyone is helping them understand it.
