Assessment of the impact of children's and young people's access to pornography

-Automatic translation

In the summer of 2020, Alþingi passed a comprehensive Parliamentary Bill regarding the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence and harassment among children and youth. The Bill contains concrete actions to address this problem, such as targeted education for those who work with children and youth. The status of actions can be monitored on a dashboard (Icelandic) on the Government of Iceland's website.

The Bill is divided into six main sections, which contain 26 actions. One of the actions is to assess the impact of children and youth's access to pornography on their health and well-being. The Directorate of Health has now published the report Assessment of the Effects of Children and Young People's Digital Access to Pornography on their Health and Well-being (Icelandic).

Key points of the report:

• Access to pornography has never been easier, it is well-known within the field of Public Health that easy access affects consumption of various kinds.

• Pornography is more aggressive than it used to be, with women often portrayed as the submissive subjects of men.

• Studies link pornographic consumption to various risk factors and poorer well-being among young people.

• The majority of 8th graders do not watch porn. However, more children in 9th and 10th grade watch porn, and still more students in upper secondary school. More boys than girls watch porn in all age groups.

• Most girls in 8th-10th grade never watch porn, but in recent years, watching porn has become more common.

• In recent years, there has been a decrease in the number of boys who watch porn three times a week or more, while the group of boys that never watch porn is growing. This applies to boys in 10th grade and upper secondary school.

• It is important to consider the effects of pornography holistically. Prejudice, violence, and coercion are being normalized and glorified. The effect on its consumers is one thing, but the harm caused by the production must also be considered.

• The porn industry is a billion-dollar industry that benefits from users starting to watch at a young age and that they watch as much as possible.

The following points are the basis for further work:

A. There should be comprehensive teaching in gender studies, sex education, health literacy, and media literacy for preschool, primary, and upper secondary school students.
B. People working with children should receive minimum knowledge from point A in their studies and continuing education. Teachers should be able to specialize in fields from point A.
C. Specific research, educational materials, and teaching should be available for children with behavioural disorders, developmental disorders, queer children, and other marginalized groups.
D. Parents need educational material on pornography to be able to discuss the matter at home and be better informed about the material that children and youth have access to.
E. Security software and safety filters matter. Action needs to be implemented in respect of age-related access to pornographic material on the Internet.

Further information:
Kjartan Hreinn Njálsson, assistant to the Medical Director of Health
kjartan.h.njalsson@landlaeknir.is