Children get addicted to pornography easily

Porn addiction is defined as “the silent epidemic” of today, especially for children and adolescents. At this young age, children are vulnerable to the addictive nature of porn’s graphic images. According to an Australian addiction specialist Robert Mittiga, the increasing accessibility to smartphones and computers resulted in a surge in the number of porn-addicted children. Mittiga has also stated that some children even watch pornography at school and share pornographic content with their classmates.^[1] Similarly, a 2014 study has also measured addictive behaviors towards the Internet and child pornography consumption.^[2] Porn addiction has negative consequences in terms of children’s behavior and development. Amid brain development in children aged between 10 and 13, neurons form at the highest rate. By the age of 15, the brain produces dopamine in full swing. This development enables it to register pleasure at four times the usual rate. Since the brain is still forming, it can become wired in response to pornography exposure. Therefore, pornography damages the “braking system” of the brain and hence leads to impaired judgment, impulsivity, and emotional lability.^[3] Altered sexual pleasure can also affect how the brain processes sexual arousal and activity. This may induce psychological erectile dysfunction.^[4] Other possible negative effects include unstable relationships with members of the opposite sex, decreased performance at school, negative self-perception, low self-esteem, and technology obsession.^[5] If we consider all the negative consequences of porn addiction, pornography should be banned for those under 18.