Kids’ unlimited access to hard-core porn causing dysfunction, intimacy issues

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This article was published 17/11/2014 (4216 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canadian children are accessing pornography in greater numbers at a younger age – and it’s literally rewiring their brains to be stimulated to unrealistic, violent sex, according to experts attending a symposium held at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights today.

The forum, sponsored by Beyond Borders, cited how children now can access unlimited hard-core pornography on mobile devices, tablets and even download on PlayStation. And how long-term exposure has proven, over time, to create sexual dysfunction and intimacy issues.

“The concern is not that they’re getting access to sexual content, but they’re getting access to exploitive and violent content that’s masquerading as sex,” said Cordelia Anderson, founder of the Minneapolis-based Sensibilities Prevention Services, which specializes in sexual violence and child sexual abuse.

“It’s completely different now. You’re getting multiple stimulation now. The content of those (older Playboy Magazines) you’ll see on music videos and games now. It’s more and more violent and degrading. And it’s really encouraging stimulating pain and degradation. There’s nothing about mutual pleasure. It’s not even realistic depictions at all of what could or does happen.”

Other speakers included John Carr, executive board member of the UK Council of Child Internet Safety and Cathy Wing, co-executive director of MediaSmarts, which has for over a decade monitored children’s use of the internet.

Also speaking at the forum was 27-year-old Gabe Deem, a recovered “pornography addict” who now advocates for awareness and prevention. Deem’s website, RebootNation.org, was designed to connect a community of addicts so they could “overcome problems related to porn use.”

“It’s manifesting itself in sexual dysfunctions,” Deem said. “Because you people have access to something no human has had access to; an unlimited amount of porn that constantly shocks them.”

Deem cited studies which concluded that adolescents are “vulnerable” to excessive pornography, to the point where it “rewires” their brain with unrealistic and/or unattainable expectations of sex.

“You have to educate young people on how their brain works and how what they do matters,” Deem said. “It can change their brain, numb their brain. Teach them how to avoid overstimulation. They can avoid escalating into that porn they shouldn’t be watching because that’s wiring their arousal to a screen, not a real person. Teach them that they long for intimacy and connection and the more they get connected online, the more disconnected they are in the real world.”