Expert: Carl Fuglein - 1/29/2009

Question
I would just like to know why do teens resort to pornography and what are the effects of pornography to teens. If you could please enumerate them. Thanks a lot.

Answer
Chan-

Pornography is "forbidden fruit".  Why do teens drink?  Drive irresponsibly? Stay out past curfew?  Smoke pot?  All the same reason - they know they're not "supposed to" and want to find out what it's all about.

What does it affect?  It gives an unrealistic view of sex.  It trivializes sex merely as entertainment, when sex was given to us by God to be so much more - intimacy between a man and a woman and to procreate the race.  Frequently, viewing pornography will result in masturbation.  While masturbation isn't necessarily a sin (a lot of controversy about this), the lust that goes along with it is sinful.  From a physiological point of view, if someone views pornography and masturbates and does so frequently, it begins to release chemicals in the brain that seem to tell you that this is "good" sex, and after a while, it could become difficult to enjoy "normal sex" between a man and a woman - the brain will often return to what was "good" before, and not want to move on to something different.

There is a Christian website, xxxchurch.com which is an excellent resource about pornography, masturbation, and sexual addiction.  I suggest that you visit it for more detailed information.

Hope this helps,

Carl