Time to talk about porn and its risks
Maree Crabbe believes pornography is something adults need to discuss with young people sooner rather than later.
‘‘There seems to be an increasing need for it, for awareness of it,’’ says Crabbe who is in New Zealand to give seminars to parents, schools, and professionals who work with children, on the subject of pornography, young people, and sexuality.
The Australian researcher said that in the 10 years her Reality and Risk programme – cocreated with David Corlett – has been running, she believes the internet has had an ‘‘absolutely huge’’ effect. ‘‘Internet has made porn easier to produce, easier to distribute, easier to access.’’
Crabbe has been working with young people since 1993, but for the past few years has particularly focused on her young people and sexuality programme.
‘‘I noticed that porn was increasingly playing a role in how young people learn about, think about, and experience sexuality.’’ She also felt it put forward ‘‘concerning’’ messages about gender, sexuality, and aggression, particularly violence against women.
‘‘Most popular porn has high levels of aggression; almost always directed towards women.’’
For her, the messages behind porn clashed with the world moving forward on gender equality, and not treating women as ‘‘second citizens’’.
‘‘If we, as a society, value equality, respect, mutuality, consent, then pornography is undermining this.’’
One of Crabbe’s main concerns was how porn was difficult to avoid, and that children were being introduced to it before their parents had conversations about it and sexuality.
While having filters on modems, limiting access, and parental monitoring or supervision while on the internet could help, those alone would not be enough.
‘‘We need to be proactive, as parents in particular, and encourage open conversations with our children.’’
Schools and the community were also responsible for holding these discussions, including making it a part of sexuality education classes. ‘‘How can you [women] give free consent to things that you don’t really like, and don’t really want.’’
Addressing these issues, and teaching young people how to think critically about what they were seeing also went beyond porn into subliminal messages from everyday advertising, music videos, regular movies, and Netflix. Crabbe’s ‘‘challenge’’ to parents, teachers, and professionals working with young people, was to help them.