The first time
They see it very early. Young Quebecers exposed to pornographic content are from the age of 11-12, according to a study conducted in 2023 among 2,846 third-year secondary school teenagers, by the Sexual Health Study Laboratory.
At 14, two thirds of teenagers have already accessed pornographic content: 83% of boys and 47% of girls. Still according to this study, boys “whose identity, orientation or sexual practices differ from those of the majority” are those who watch the most pornographic content (several times a week), while heterosexual girls are the ones who consume the least (less than once a month).
Read the study (in English)
View the infographic presenting the main findings of the study
Read the study “Digital sexuality: sexting and pornography among adolescents”
Read a study that looks at the motivations of young porn consumers
Sex education
What are the effects of excessive pornography consumption on the brain?
“We don’t have a lot of longitudinal studies on the potential effects of porn use,” replies M.me Bőthe. We do not have studies that follow adolescents into adulthood. But what we can say is that teenagers are interested in sexuality. When they don’t have answers to their questions, at school, at home or on the internet, they turn to pornography.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Beata Bőthe, professor in the psychology department at the University of Montreal
“Is it negative, positive? We don’t know yet. But we know that young people can be influenced by what they watch. For example, if homosexuals see a porn video showing two men having unprotected sex, they will tend not to use protection. »
These data show the importance of teaching young people about sexuality and addressing the use of pornography, its potential harms and benefits, says Mme Bőthe. “We must support teenagers in the use of porn to promote healthy use and, above all, satisfying sexuality,” adds Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel.
Two books to read on this subject:
Talk to them about love and… sexualityby Jocelyne Robert, and All naked! The caring dictionary of sexualityby Myriam Daguzan Bernier.
The positive effects
In a study which has just been published, Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel and her colleagues looked at the type of pornography consumed by young people aged 17 to 30. They identified five types of sexual content: group sex, passion and romance, gender mixing, forbidden sex and rough sex porn.
Result: the consumption of passionate and romantic pornography is associated with better sexual satisfaction, while the use of pornography where power, control and brutality are highlighted is linked to lower sexual satisfaction and to poorer sexual function in men.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel, assistant professor in the psychology department at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières
“For certain young people, this rough content potentially has more negative effects, while more romantic content would have positive effects,” explains M.me Vaillancourt-Morel.
“It’s interesting and important to take into consideration the kind of pornography that people watch,” adds M.me Bőthe. It’s not enough to ask how often people consume porn or what websites they use. It’s really important to ask what kind of porn they watch. »
Read this study (in English)
Problematic use
Consumption of porn becomes problematic when it generates distress among users, argues Mme Vaillancourt-Morel.
“We see a lot of shame among some people about using pornography, even if they don’t actually use it that much,” she says. We will therefore look at the level of distress. We will also see if it alters its activities. Will the young person prefer to watch pornography instead of going out with friends one evening? Is he able to control its use or is it a use a little beyond his control? »
Porn can also influence the “script” of sexuality, the way of conceiving it. “However,” notes the professor, “it is not so much pornography that is the problem, but perhaps more the lack of sex education. With our studies, we are trying to draw up guidelines for a healthier use of porn. »
Visit the Tel-jeunes website, where you can find popularized information on pornography