RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

A collection of policy briefs, articles, analysis, research, and other resources to combat pornography.

POLICY BRIEF:  Pornography is Destructive to Individuals & Society.  (Family Watch International) This policy brief provides an overview of how Pornography is a growing scourge that can lead to addiction and deviant behaviors that in turn can destroy families and can pose a danger to individuals and society.

Pornography & Public Health Research Summary   (The National Center on Sexual Exploitation)  Pornography is a social toxin that destroys relationships, steals innocence, erodes compassion, breeds violence, and kills love. The issue of pornography is ground zero for all those concerned for the sexual health of our loved ones, communities, and society as a whole. As the following points illustrate, the breadth and depth of pornography’s influence on popular culture has created an intolerable situation that impinges on the freedoms and wellbeing of countless individuals.

REPORT:  The Gender-Based Torture Found in the Pornography Industry.   (The National Center on Sexual Exploitation)  The National Center on Sexual Exploitation reports that the pornography industry—and for the purposes of this report specifically hardcore or obscene Internet pornography— intentionally causes severe physical and mental suffering to the women filmed or photographed, and that it should therefore be recognized as torture. The treatment experienced by mainstream female pornography performers is often identical to the treatment of women who are recognized as torture victims, with the one exception that a camera is there to record the abuse. We are asking that you consider pornography as a form of torture in the forthcoming thematic report on the gender perspectives of torture as a significant step toward the end of gender-based torture and violence.

Pornography: A Public Health Crisis  (National Center on Sexual Exploitation)  A collection of papers from Symposium held at the U.S. Capitol on July 14, 2015, detailing how pornography fuels child abuse, compulsive sexual behavior, sexual dysfunction, sex trafficking, and more.

The Impact of Pornography on Children  (American College of Pediatricians) The availability and use of pornography has become almost ubiquitous among adults and adolescents.  Consumption of pornography is associated with many negative emotional, psychological, and physical health outcomes.  These include increased rates of depression, anxiety, acting out and violent behavior, younger age of sexual debut, sexual promiscuity, increased risk of teen pregnancy, and a distorted view of relationships between men and women.  For adults, pornography results in an increased likelihood of divorce which is also harmful to children.