Young people stressed at home are resorting to porn and their relationships will suffer for it: study

Children exposed to high levels of stress and experiencing stressful parent-child relationships are cited in a study indicating a significant increase in exposure to pornographic images during the past five years.

Unisa’s Bureau for Market Research’s (BMR) Youth Research Unit investigated the wellbeing of South African youth after the Covid-19 pandemic, sampling 1 124 youths between the ages of 12 to 20.

It found access to the internet and smart devices, which grew during lockdown due to the need for online education and communication, has contributed to increased vulnerability of young people to online sexual exploitation and abuse.

Dr Antoinette Basson, who led the study, said about 71% of young people sampled had seen disturbing images online, mostly sexual (75%), and violent (53%).

“Further analyses revealed that of those young people who have seen sexual images, about 87% have been exposed to online pornographic images.

“The significant emotional and behavioural impact of exposure to online pornographic images cannot be ignored. In this regard, 40% of young people experienced mixed feelings, 8% struggled to keep up with their schoolwork and 6% became withdrawn or preoccupied. It also resulted in young people seeking more access to pornographic images online.”

A comparison of these results with previous BMR unit studies showed “there has been a significant increase in exposure to pornographic images during the past five years”, she said.

Two-thirds of the participants confirmed they consumed alcohol during the past 12 months, of which almost half have been drunk.

About 26% are using illicit drugs, of which dagga (56%) and over-the-counter medication (17%) were most frequently used.

The research confirms “spending more time in the household is not always a protective factor, specifically for young people exposed to dysfunctional family environments and unhealthy modelling behaviour,” Basson said.

Psychologist Nkululeko Mhlongo said young people can be attracted to porn because it is a “mystery” they discover with their friends and not at an educational level.

“It becomes normalised in their settings and they start to experiment. It makes them carry a lot of shame and guilt. The minute the elders know a child watches porn, their treatment starts to change because they now look at them from an eye of being naughty. Depending on the sort of family, the treatment may be bad. It may also bring shame to a Christian family, for example.

“If the parents haven’t found out, the young person may suffer from shame, leading them to judge themselves and sometimes overcompensate by doing chores because of the fear that if it comes out they might be punished,” Mhlongo said.

He added that in addition to the impact on relationships, it affects the child in that they may grow up prematurely and expose themselves to sexual risks, as they do not have a full understanding of its impact.

“Though we can’t shut down the internet to stop people viewing porn, at the family level measures can be taken to ensure young people don’t access these websites by blocking them on their gadgets,” said Mhlongo.

Shaheda Omar, director of the Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children, said there's a strong relationship between young people exposed to porn and them engaging in sexual behaviour — sometimes forcefully — with others as the material is exaggerated. 

“They become secretive people as the things they watch are behind closed doors. It can also make them manipulative individuals as they were exposed before they understood the content.

“Some develop mood swings and it affects their interpersonal relationships,” said Omar, adding these traits can sometimes be seen in their adult lives and how they navigate relations with those close to them. 

Aliza Bilman, a clinical psychologist, said exposure to porn can have long-term effects on the children and those around them as it makes them hypersexual and curious.

“It's unhealthy and it distorts their understanding of its impact on their lives. It’s bound to have long-term effects on them. For some, it even affects their ability to have intimate relationships with a loving partner,” said Bilman.

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