Pros & Cons of Porn

Some respondents felt that the topic of porn and its negative as well as positive effects on youth was missing and necessary to cover given porn’s accessibility in today’s digital age. They shared concerns over the negative effects of pornography on youth, such as how pornography can create unrealistic expectations, reinforce harmful gender stereotypes, and contribute to distorted views of consent and healthy sexual behaviours. Overall, there seems to be a desire to give youth a comprehensive understanding of the potential risks and consequences associated with consuming pornography, with the aim of promoting healthy and informed decision-making. Noah* from Barrie shared, “[I wish I had learnt about] porn and how it affects the brain and the performance of your partner”.

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS ELSEWHERE

When asked where they go for sexual information outside of school, the top 3 most preferred mediums for young Canadians for getting sexual health information are 1) internet search engines (60%), 2) friends (47%), 3) family doctor (34%). And the 5 most trustworthy sources were 1) family doctor, 2) clinics, 3) internet search engines, 4) friends, and 5) community organizations and NGOs. These findings are important because in our “extremely online” world, youth still mainly find in-person or human sources more trustworthy than online sources. This shows that the current Sex-Ed system is leaving Canadian youth with unanswered questions and forces them look for answers elsewhere. Despite the rise of the popularity of TikTok and Instagram, only 19% and 15% respectively, of youth go to them for sexual health information.