Contribution of pornographic exposure and addiction to risky sexual behavior in adolescents

Abstract

Background: The progress of information and technology contributes to the increasingly easier access to pornographic content. Adolescents as the highest Internet accessor become the most susceptible population to pornographic hazards, which has an impact on deviant sexual behavior. This study aimed to identify the relationship of exposure history and pornography addiction to risky sexual behavior in adolescents. Design and Methods: The data were collected online using a cross-sectional approach and involved 394 students selected by stratified random sampling. This study used the Early Detection of Pornography Addiction Instrument and Sexual Risk Survey (SRS). Results: A significant relationship was found between risky sexual behavior in students and the age of the first-time exposure to pornography (p=0.013), pornographic materials accessed (p=0.041), and the reasons for watching pornography (p=0.017). The higher the degree of pornography addiction, the higher the risky sexual behavior in students (p=0.000; r=0.241). Conclusions: A prevention and intervention program is necessary to address the pornography addiction problem as well as the development of various strategic plans in handling issues associated with risky sexual behavior in adolescence.

Keywords

• Adolescents
• pornography addiction
• pornography exposure
• risky sexual behavior