Fears about pornography are everywhere, writes psychology professor Joshua B. Grubbs. “Yet many of these concerns lack grounding in what careful scientific research has taught us about pornography use.” |
Across most of the scientific literature on porn and its effects, Grubbs writes, “the most consistent finding is that simple narratives like ‘porn is bad’ or ‘porn is good’ are flawed.” The science doesn’t support the claims that pornography leads to addiction and mental health problems. And it doesn’t show that it causes violence against women or epidemics of sexual dysfunction.
“Some people do become out of control in their use of pornography, but the same can be said of exercise, shopping or even working. Yet, there is no rush to label most of these things as addictive because not every habitual behavior is an addiction.”
Grubbs writes that it’s natural for parents, educators and policymakers to be concerned about children’s exposure to sexual media. “But moral panics based on fear and pseudoscience don’t lead to effective parenting, education or policy.”
Read the op-ed at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Views & Opinions newsletter, it's Friday, Jan. 26. I'm Daniel Allott, bringing together a collection of key opinion pieces published from a wide range of voices. |
