Boys aged 13 and 14 living in rural areas, are the most likely of their age group to access pornography, and parents need to be more aware of how to monitor their children’s viewing habits, according to a new University of Alberta study.
A total of 429 students aged 13 and 14 from 17 urban and rural schools across Alberta, Canada, were surveyed anonymously about if, how and how often they accessed sexually explicit media content on digital or satellite television, video and DVD and the Internet. Ninety per cent of males and 70 per cent of females reported accessing sexually explicit media content at least once. More than one-third of the boys reported viewing pornographic DVDs or videos “too many times to count”, compared to eight per cent of the girls surveyed.
A majority of the students, 74 per cent, reported viewing pornography on the Internet. Forty-one per cent saw it on video or DVD and 57 per cent reported seeing it on a specialty TV channel. Nine per cent of the tens reported they accessed pornography because someone over 18 had rented it; six per cent had rented it themselves and 20 per cent viewed it at a friend’s house.
The study also revealed different patterns of use between males and females, with boys doing the majority of deliberate viewing, and a significant minority planning social time around viewing porn with male friends.Girls reported more accidental or unwanted exposure online and tend to view porn in same-gender pairs or with mixed groups.
Though being curious about sexually explicit media may seem a ‘natural’ part of early adolescence, porn is a major presence in the lives of youth. The media environment in Alberta homes makes access to porn easy for teens and viewing pornography at a young age can set children up for problems later on, said Sonya Thompson, a masters graduate student at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and author of the study. “We don’t know how we are changing sexual behaviours, attitudes, values and beliefs by enabling this kind of exposure and not talking with kids about it in any meaningful way,” Thompson said.
Thompson, formerly a sex education teacher, is concerned about the health and social messages pornography sends. Excessive early exposure to pornography may be harmful in terms of expectations going into relationships. “What kinds of expectations will these young people have going into their first sexual relationships? It may be setting up a big disconnect between boys and girls and may be normalizing risky sex practices.”
Almost half of rural youths in the survey reported seeing pornographic videos or DVDs at least once, compared to one-third of the urban participants. Thompson is unsure why rural teens access porn more on video and DVD, but suggests that parents may think distance acts as a buffer. “Maybe they have a false sense of thinking they are far away from unhealthy influences.” Rural boys also reported a lower incidence of parents talking with them about sexual media content. Urban girls were most likely to have had discussions with their parents.
And while the majority of teens surveyed said their parents expressed concern about sexual content, that concern hasn’t led to discussion or supervision, and few parents are using available technology to block sexual content.
“It indicates there is plenty of room for better parenting around pornography use. Parents need to improve dialogue with their children and their own awareness level. They have to be educated enough to be the ones setting the boundaries in the house,” Thompson said. “Families using media together is no longer the norm, so parents need to know what their kids have access to in their alone time,” Thompson said.
Teachers also need to tackle the issue in sex education classes, she added. “Obviously it’s a huge influence on kids and it needs to be talked about. There’s a whole subculture we are not addressing.”
Retailers, government and the media industry regulators also need to work with parents to ensure they are educated about limiting their children’s access to sexually explicit material, have strategies to talk with their teens, and that laws around the sale of porn to minors are enforced, Thompson said.
Comments
This guy sounds like a poster
October 20, 2009 by Anonymous, 2 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 45630
This guy sounds like a poster child for porn rotting your brain. It looks like someone who dropped out in 4th grade wrote that post.
14 year old boy
September 29, 2009 by Anonymous, 5 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 45111
I am a 14 year old boy and i started masturbating and watchin porn at about 11. i have never been caught by either one of my parents yet. When I first started i was rele afraid and took extra percautions to make sure no one found out but now if my mom found out i rele wouldnt give a shit. So it be awkward for a day or 2. Id live with it. I mean rele. it has always been a way for me to relase stress and plus it feels good. everyone finds out eventually so y not early. I will NVR understand y parents r so fixed on making sure it dosnt happen. Paremts lemmie tell u somthin. ITS GONNA HAPPEN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, LET IT GO AND DEAL WITH IT..
so what?
September 16, 2009 by Anonymous, 7 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 44797
yeah kay kids masterbuate so wat? studies also show that if u masterbuate u r healthier and have a bigger chance of producing a baby quicker!!!!! and so what lik were honestly gonna stop these kids im 16 and i masterbuated from 13 til 14 then i stopped cuz i thought it wuz stupid but let kids do what they want... even if they want to have sex let them show them what its like to be an adult and take care of babys(being that their protected)... kids are the future.
Not sure if this will help
September 14, 2009 by Reuniting, 7 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 44724
but this chapter describes the actual experiences of various men who quit. There might be some useful insights in it for you. At least you'll understand your challenge better. ;-) http://www.reuniting.info/download/pdf/Cupid-Ch6.pdf
ima child
September 8, 2009 by Anonymous, 8 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 44649
Hey guys I started watching porn through my friend and I think im add, but I dont think its right im really trying to stop you guys know how
you r also child
August 18, 2009 by Anonymous, 11 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 44175
you r also child OK . when ur adult up to16 years than it's ok
porn & masterbation are different topics
July 25, 2009 by Anonymous, 15 weeks 20 min ago
Comment id: 38333
getting off, figuring out how to find pleasure with your body - totally healthy & natural.
porn, however, isn't an accurate portrayal of sex, and really there's not much "natural" in most porn. the bodies aren't what you're going to see in real life. the positions are often awkward and dissatisfying to both parties because they're more about the angle than pleasure.
males who use a lot of porn, as they age, have a harder time getting erections, a harder time getting off, and lose their libido at a younger age. sex, like anything, is trained. if you teach your body to get off to porno bodies and porn behavior, you will find, over time, it doesn't respond as well to real bodies and real sex. by their 40s some men can't even get it up without porn. :S
porn is potato chip sex. it's not really great for ya in large quantities. over time, it makes you much less hot. as an occasional snack, whatever.
i can tell right away if i'm sleeping with a porn-guy or with a guy who discovered sex through women. the second type are way more imaginative and we have lots more fun.
before you defend your "right" to watch porn any time alla time, maybe just consider if you might prefer having the "right" to a really great real-life sex for many years to come.
So what?
July 20, 2009 by Anonymous, 15 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 38131
It's a common, normal, thing for kids to do. Parents think we shouldn't be watching porn. But think about this, parents: Didn't you do the same things, or think about the same things when you were our age? Yes you did. Everyone did, so why are you trying to stop us by blocking our access to porn? I'm a 14 year old boy, and I've been masturbating and watching porn since I was 11, and it's not stopping me from going outside, and having a social life. I masturbate at least once a day, sometimes twice. It's just what we do. Okay? Get over yourselves, adults. If we don't do it now, we're just gonna do it when we get older.
16 m
July 11, 2009 by Anonymous, 17 weeks 1 hour ago
Comment id: 37877
im 16 and i wank 2wice a day. and?
Its entertainment
June 21, 2009 by Anonymous, 19 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 37445
Porno is just entertainment of life...
Porno !
June 21, 2009 by Anonymous, 19 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 37444
Yes its our need...
Why?
June 16, 2009 by Anonymous, 20 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 37316
I'm 14 and I'm addicted to porn, why?
my id is
June 12, 2009 by Anonymous, 21 weeks 1 day ago
Comment id: 37219
my id is sid.magic@yahoo.com add my id then i will give u advise ok
no fuxck tyou
June 11, 2009 by Anonymous, 21 weeks 2 days ago
Comment id: 37211
no fuxck tyou
fuck you idiot
June 11, 2009 by Anonymous, 21 weeks 2 days ago
Comment id: 37210
fuck you idiot
assbear.com
June 11, 2009 by Anonymous, 21 weeks 2 days ago
Comment id: 37209
assbear.com
may be a point of view
June 10, 2009 by Anonymous, 21 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 37177
join me @:
shadishemo@yahoo.com
Why No Porn?
June 8, 2009 by Anonymous, 21 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 37124
I'm 12 and I watch porn all the time. The only problem is that my parents downloaded this Open DNS thing so that it doesn't let me watch it.
The only thing I found is that you can find pictures of nude people by going on wikipedia commons.
Does anyone know of a good porn video website that is free and not known by many people or even not blocked by open DNS?
Anyways, I don't understand why kids can't watch porn. Its a free country, right?
I'm a teen
June 8, 2009 by Anonymous, 21 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 37107
I love porn. So what? I have certain "thoughts" about things. But am I really gonna do them? HELL NO! COURSE NOT! Anyways, porn is sorta an escape for me. Does it really matter?
Also, there was a slut at my school that said she'd never watched porn, so she was interested. Guess what? She got a "bang" for her buck. Go figure?
a 15 year old boy
May 15, 2009 by Anonymous, 25 weeks 1 day ago
Comment id: 36652
yeah right , how many times do you masturbate every day?
14 year old girl
April 25, 2009 by Anonymous, 28 weeks 16 min ago
Comment id: 36381
I'm 14, female, and I love to masturbate. Absolutely nothing wrong with it.
I really don't see anything wrong with people watching porn. I've watched it since I was around 8. I'm still a virgin; watching porn does NOT influence people to go out and try sex. Watching porn just helps stimulate your mind, filling it with thoughts of YOU being in the place of that girl/guy, which, in turn, helps you get off.
And it's not just porn. Are you gonna stop kids from going on MySpace, Gaia Online, and various other sites/IM services so that they can't have those steamy conversations you all know you've had every now and then? Even the most kid-friendly of sites can hold a private haven for your children's very dirty and perverted conversations. They may even be cybering (A.k.a. Cyber-sex, where you 'roleplay', writing out a sort of 'story' as if you were having sex with that person)!
Porn isn't all that bad, okay? Parents, you know you were curious back then. And if you weren't... So? Your kids are. ;D
im 13
April 17, 2009 by Anonymous, 29 weeks 21 hours ago
Comment id: 36229
IM 13 AND I MASTURBATE ALL THE TIME I HAVE MY OWN LAPTOP AND I USUALY WATCH PORN WHEN I DO IT ITS PERFECTLY NATURAL
sexual intercourse
March 23, 2009 by Anonymous, 32 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 35544
you are comuplateing is white stuf coming out your pinis?????.....
nobody can gain anything watching porn.
February 11, 2009 by Anonymous, 38 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 34448
its a huge huge and huge waste of your inner energy
instead of watching that(porn) one can watch hollywood movies, or play out with friends.
Today's tech has make life so lethargic and boring that only few are interested to leave their pc and spill out of their house.
its wastage of time that is
February 11, 2009 by Anonymous, 38 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 34447
its wastage of time that is most precious that's it.
huge wastage of time!!!!
February 11, 2009 by Anonymous, 38 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 34446
huge wastage of time!!!!
i am 23 year male
February 8, 2009 by Anonymous, 38 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 34350
I started masturbation when i was 15 year old.Its so good.But now my cock is not in 90 degre position its getting down and down.some one have the solution of my probles.
Im A Boy...
February 5, 2009 by Anonymous, 39 weeks 2 days ago
Comment id: 34298
...And I Like To Masturbate :P
Nuff Said :D
How much is ok?
February 3, 2009 by Anonymous, 39 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 34196
I think masturbation is pefectly ok, i normally masturbate once a day. This i think is perfectly ok
but in some cases i have heard people say, "I masturbate three times a day" well that is their choice but i would not go around my daily routine to masturbate more, that is what i am comfortable with. I think masturbation using porn is ok, sometimes. I disagree when boys, also dont forget girls, go around their personal lives (friends, outings, excersize) to masturbate, also when porn is demoralizing woman. I agree when masturbation is done in healthy amounts, because i think it is important for the person to becaom sexually aware of themselves.
Masturbation for the win!
i'm a girl...
February 3, 2009 by Anonymous, 39 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 34191
...and i watch online porn and masturbate every night
Masturbating
January 31, 2009 by Anonymous, 40 weeks 7 hours ago
Comment id: 34141
M8 masturbating is normal and if u cant stop its coz ur going through puberty in the middle of it
Porn
January 31, 2009 by Anonymous, 40 weeks 7 hours ago
Comment id: 34140
Ha. Same here m8.
seriously
January 29, 2009 by Anonymous, 40 weeks 2 days ago
Comment id: 34106
any adult who thinks kids shouldn't be able to watch porn isvfucking retarted
the good 'ol days
January 27, 2009 by Anonymous, 40 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 33988
I've been watching porn fairly regularly since I was 14 (when I got internet access). The only thing that surprises me is that only one in three is a heavy user...
omgz
January 25, 2009 by Anonymous, 40 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 33943
i am a teenage girl i have never been curious about any of those things, because i really dont care, althogh i agree, just say no is crap
I'm a 13 year old boy, and ......
January 12, 2009 by Anonymous, 42 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 33719
.......and I watch porn. I admit that I do. When I was 11 or 12, I didn't watch it, as frequently as I do now, I thought I was alone, and no one else did, and if they found out, they'd shun me. But I found out that most of my friends have, or regularly do watch porn, and all of them have masturbated, and do masturbate (We even share websites sometimes =P). But, girls, I don't think they do, but if they do, it's way less frequent than boys do. When I grow up, and have my children, I won't stop them from watching porn, I certainly won't leave it out for them, I'll let them discover it on their own, just like I did.
I'm a 14 year old boy and i
January 2, 2009 by Anonymous, 44 weeks 21 hours ago
Comment id: 33595
I'm a 14 year old boy and i watch porn all the time =P
its true&natural
November 18, 2008 by Anonymous, 50 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 32918
you are absolutely correct.i am a 14 year old guy and one day i found porn vcd in my father's well hidden bag in his room.
there was around 20 vcds and it looks really old.
i tried some and 3 out 4 vcds are spoilt because its really old.i secretly watched before because i don't know how to talk to him about it cause i'm in malaysia,a country in asia.asian people are a bit sensitive when it comes to talking about sex with their children.but among the teenagers its a common thing.its a natural thing for boys going through puberty to watch porn and talk about it with their friends.it helps to give the knowledge to future generations so that they can maintain human population.a sincere comment from my heart
teenage boy pornography use
November 18, 2008 by Anonymous, 50 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 32916
you are absolutely correct.i am a 14 year old guy and one day i found porn vcd in my father's well hidden bag in his room.
there was around 20 vcds and it looks really old.
i tried some and 3 out 4 vcds are spoilt because its really old.i secretly watched before because i don't know how to talk to him about it cause i'm in malaysia,a country in asia.asian people are a bit sensitive when it comes to talking about sex with their children.but among the teenagers its a common thing.its a natural thing for boys going through puberty to watch porn and talk about it with their friends.it helps to give the knowledge to future generations so that they can maintain human population.
Teenage Boys Pornography Use
September 3, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 9 weeks ago
Comment id: 31768
I'm 15 and watch porn at least 5 times a week. So What?
totally true
August 14, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Comment id: 31520
I agree with the last awnser to the last question
that is totally true!l
RE: Reply: Teenage Boys Pornography Use
August 9, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Comment id: 31458
True, you probably won't find someone on the street who thinks they should wait until marriage to have sex, etc., but tell me this: what in hell are the chances of you finding someone (anywhere) who does think this?
On the other hand, you will find plenty of older folks saying that "you must wait until you're married or else your children will be bastards", etc.
Well, as one other poster here expressed (but here in my own words): What the hell? Are you expecting marriage to be the key to puberty? Are you expecting, that by forcing young men & women to be completely ignorant about their own sexuality, and by not letting them know or see for themselves what sex looks like, to make their lives better? Hell, if not knowing anything about sex until you're married is a good thing, then so is not knowing anything about protection or STD's until you're married! Goddamn, if you really think "Don't Do It" is acceptable sex education, then you yourself are uneducated! What the hell will that teach people?
That just tells kids that sex is purely wrong, and doesn't teach them anything about how to be safe when the time comes (aka "sex education"). Oh, but porn is only wrong if you're a kid, that is. You see, Junior, when your old man here was a boy, he was never sexually attracted to any female, nope, cuz that's a derned sin. Nope, your father here never, ever thought about having sex, ever, until the day he was married, where he proceeded to "instantly" desire to engage in the act of sexual intercourse, "instantly" knowing what sex was, and "instantly" knowing how to have sex. That's right, your old pop was never told what sex was in his life, and never saw it through pornography in his life, yet simply, "magically", desired sex on the day he was wed. Yup, that's dad's morals. By the way, Junior, I was being sarcastic.
re: Helping myself
August 9, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Comment id: 31457
If you're a boy, then yes.
If you're a girl, then also yes.
RE: Teenage Boys Pornography Use
August 9, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Comment id: 31456
I was just about to post a comment to say basically the same thing as you, but then I read your comment, and now I only have one thing to say to you: Very well put! My thoughts exactly! It couldn't be worded better, and thanks for the post.
Helping myself
February 19, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 37 weeks ago
Comment id: 27641
I love masturbating and cant stop. Is this normal?
help me
January 13, 2008 by vishnu (not verified), 1 year 42 weeks ago
Comment id: 26933
hellow i am vishnu
can u tell me what are the proble which will the boys face if they do masturbeat
porn is an outlet
August 25, 2007 by webcam lover (not verified), 2 years 10 weeks ago
Comment id: 24687
without saying that young boys should become porn fiends, it is natural for them to be sexually curious. certainly it is better for them to have an outlet for their new hormones. porn is a much better alternative than trying to experiment with a peer before either is ready to accept what comes along with being active.
Reply: Teenage Boys Pornography Use
August 23, 2007 by Jen (not verified), 2 years 11 weeks ago
Comment id: 24662
There's such a thing as sharing what you think is right with a child. No group sex, waiting until after marriage, etc. are morals that you probably WON'T find on the street for these guys to learn. But yes, there IS such a thing as getting too wrapped up in their world and by doing so, putting the wrong pressures on them and making it worse.
Remember though, how will they learn if they don't talk to someone and hear what's logically correct? Not everyone thinks as well as they should. Don't go extremist.
Teenage Boys Pornography Use
August 22, 2007 by Anonymous (not verified), 2 years 11 weeks ago
Comment id: 24656
Guess what? We're sexual beings. And males, especially young boys, are aroused visually more than any other way. Mix modern media technology with a teenage boy's wildly squirting glands and what do you think is going to happen? The apparent desire of parents, schools and researchers that young teenage boys and girls be sexually inert is stupefying. Why is it that once people grow all the way up they become completely detached from their own youth and view what kids do (and exactly what they themselves did only a few years ago) with such a contrived sense of surprise, outrage and concern? Who's kidding whom?
There is little need for research here-anyone who was ever young and eventually matured to adulthood knows exactly what's going on. The teenage boys are masturbating around twice a day, yeah, often with their friends and cousins. Pornography has been 'casualized' - the boys don't have to hide Playboy's under their beds anymore - aftter they get off they only have to clear cookies and history on the computer and their secrets are safe from the snooping eyes of parents. Sex is now defined solely as vaginal intercourse. Everything short of that (what used to be called making out, heavy petting or necking) is just recreational, including, thanks to Clinton, oral sex. Male homosexual experimentation is now as it always was - rampant. It's just more open and accepted. So is teenage girl bisexuallity. So are 3-ways and groups. By high school graduation, most everybody who's wanted to has gotten laid. And everything else.
Starting to remember now? DUH. The real reason for al this 'study' of teenage sexuallity is that we never forget, or want to, our teenage sexual experiences. Adolescent sex is special in that it combines all the biology of adult sex with the deliciousness of being new, forbidden and top-secret. Yeah, it's irresistibly nasty and exciting as only adolescent sex can be. If two adults meet and end up in the sack, it's just that and so what. But to a teenager, it is a crossing over, a genuine evolution of oneself into a higher level of being. Often it's also an emotional roller-coaster. Growing up by leaps and bounds. Gotta love it. And that importance continues until it dawns on you that sex is simply what consenting and mutually attracted adults do. Unfortunately, often whether they're married or not. But that's another 'study.'
As adults, like it or not, consciously or subconsciously, we have an uncontrollable prurient interest in adolescent sexual behavioir. Not to get data, but to get justification for our own pasts. If, as a youth, you had the misfortune to attach guilt or fear to your 'nekkid' playtimes, adult scholarly study tends to defray that. What turns out to be OK for all is OK for you. And one more thing, no matter how old you are, you always want to study kids to find out if, back then, you really got your share, and if today's kids are getting more than you did, to sound the alarm that something must be done. Leave the kids alone, allow them their privacy. When you were a kid, you certainly didn't want some lecherous adult inquiring into your sexual thoughts and behaviors, asking questions, and making judgements. It's enough to teach them biology, but leave the rest to the streets, the gutters and the camp-outs, where it belongs. Get a life.
Teenage boys pornography use
February 23, 2007 by Anonymous, 2 years 36 weeks ago
Comment id: 17588
Many teenage boys begin puberty around 12 years, many even earlier. Males are visually stimulated (a fact women have been exploiting for centuries) and pubescent boys are intensely interested in the opposite sex. This is totally instinctive and absolutely natural. Even though conservative forces within our civilization have aribitrarily assumed that ignorance will preserve innocence and that sexual encounters must be deferred as long as possible, pre-teen boys will continue to mature when their biological clock commands. What would Thompson and those like him prefer, that teenager boys use pornography for masturbation, or that they resort to rape when their natural urges overwhelm their self control? Would Thompson prefer boys use prostitutes so their "expectations" are more realistic? It's time for a reality check. Pornography helps boys manage their instinctive sexual urges while living in a culture of denial that imagines puberty can be deferred until the day they are married.
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