Viewing pornography negatively affects children's psychological development
Current developmental and clinical research indicates that early or problematic exposure to pornography is associated with negative mental health correlates and adverse psychological impacts on children and adolescents.
The retrieved literature contains multiple recent papers (such as reviews on problematic pornography use and large-scale developmental data from the ABCD study) that support the claim that pornography exposure is associated with negative psychological correlates and developmental risks in children. There are no papers contradicting this claim.
Ince C, Antons S, Ashton S, Borgogna NC, Brand M, Briken P, Castro-Calvo J, Chen L, Coleman E, Efrati Y, Fernández DP, Fuss J, Gleason N, Gola M, Jennings TL, Kowalewska E, Kraus SW, Lewczuk K, Grubbs JB, Lew-Starowicz M, Love T, Mestre-Bach G, Potenza MN, Rahm-Knigge RL, De Tubino Scanavino M, Stark R, Demetrovics Z, Bőthe B. Compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) and problematic pornography use (PPU): A comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and expert-informed narrative review with suggested future directions.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2025.00337
Reviews indicate that problematic pornography use carries significant implications for mental health, interpersonal functioning, and broader well-being among youth.
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Moffat K, Glenn J, Nelson EJ. Psychosocial and Behavior Correlates of Early Pornography Exposure in Children. 2026. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9881429/v1
Data from large-scale studies show that early pornography exposure in children is associated with elevated internalizing and externalizing risk patterns.
Alvarez-Segura M, Fernández I, El Kasmy Y, Francisco E, Gallo Martínez S, Ortiz Jiménez EM, Butjosa A. Impact of pornography consumption on children and adolescents: a trauma-informed approach.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.3389/frcha.2025.1567649
Explores how underage pornography use can act as a traumatic stressor that negatively alters psychological development and interpersonal relationships.
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