Author: Mawlawi Ismail Sarani
Adultery: Its Prevalence and Destructive Effects on Society (Part 7)
The Pornography Industry
Pornography is one of the major issues affecting today’s youth, and its usage is particularly prevalent among this group. Behind the pornography industry lies a vast economic system. Social psychologists Roy Baumeister and Kathleen Vohs, in their article The Economics of Sex, argue that economic principles and market dynamics govern sexual relations. Just as selling a house is not merely a transaction between two parties but is tied to the broader housing market and local economy, sexual activity in a society is also part of a wider “sex market” and is connected to the larger social structure. According to Baumeister and Vohs, sex is not simply a private matter between two individuals; rather, it is part of an economic and social system.
In the 1940s and 1950s, legal battles led to the recognition of pornography, and sexual content in speeches and films became legally permissible. Pornography was heavily promoted and made widely accessible, especially to youth. Research has shown that exposure to pornography among adolescents and youth has a significant impact on their sexual behavior. The observational patterns shaped by pornographic content push young viewers toward inappropriate sexual actions.
Wright and his colleagues found that individuals who watch pornography are more likely to engage in premarital sexual relationships. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between exposure to pornography and strong sexual behavior in women with liberal beliefs, whereas women with traditional and conservative views showed the weakest link in this regard.
Public access to pornography has not only increased sexual behavior but also lowered the average age of sexual initiation and led to multiple sexual relationships. For example, in Sweden and Denmark, the average age of first sexual experience has dropped by four to five years. The gap between a girl’s first menstruation and her first sexual encounter has shrunk from seven years to just three.
Today, pornography is spread through various means, briefly outlined as follows:
A) Media:
Mass media are among the most influential promoters of pornography in the West. Roughly one-third of family television programming time is devoted to sexual themes. Since 1976, sexual content during prime family viewing hours has quadrupled to more than eight references per hour. Most daytime TV shows now contain extensive sexual material. These shows, which are especially popular among teenagers, consistently display sexual imagery outside the bounds of marriage and promote deviant sexual norms, thereby modeling inappropriate sexual behavior.
A 2004 study by the Parents Television Council analyzed 171 hours of television programming. The findings revealed an average of 9 sexual scenes, nearly 18 images, and 17 explicit or implicit sexual dialogues per hour. As a result, teenagers and young adults are constantly bombarded with sexual images and scenes around the clock.
In one study comparing different levels of sexual content exposure, results showed that teenagers in the highest exposure group (90%) were almost twice as likely to engage in sexual activity in the following years compared to those in the lowest group (10%). Another study found that teens who watched two hours of television daily without parental supervision reported higher rates of early sexual activity.
A review of the most popular films over the past 20 years revealed that around one-third (32%) contained at least one sexual scene. Chaplin observed that the media promote romantic and sexual relationships outside of marriage as natural, pleasurable, personal, and unrestricted, drawing audiences toward such behavior.
B) Internet and Social Media:
The internet and social networks are another major platform for the dissemination of pornography. Today, this issue is viewed as a highly profitable business. For instance, in 2006, the total revenue of the pornography industry in the United States exceeded $284 billion. Approximately 89% of American web pages (totaling 244,661,900 pages) contained explicit sexual content. Therefore, it is no surprise that American teenagers can access the obscenest pornographic images with just a few clicks—and unfortunately, this is not limited to American youth; nowadays, young people around the world are afflicted.
A 2007 study found that more than 90% of adolescents had been exposed to pornographic images online. Another survey of 1,501 individuals revealed that those who sought out pornographic material were more likely to have engaged in delinquent behavior and substance abuse in previous years. Furthermore, adolescents who watched pornographic content online reported higher levels of depression. Accordingly, watching pornography not only increases sexual activity but is also linked to other risky behaviors and negatively impacts the mental health of teenagers and young adults.
Social media platforms such as Facebook, X (Twitter), and various websites also play a significant role in this.
C) Commercial Advertising:
In 2005, Burger King launched an internet advertising campaign featuring hidden pornographic themes. The homepage of the website displayed images of young women with romantic captions. In 2003, the beverage company Snapple adjusted its marketing strategy to attract younger consumers. The company began advertising on networks like ESPN, MTV, and Cartoon Network—channels popular among teens. Known for its fruit-flavored drinks, Snapple ran an ad featuring youths dressed in fruit-themed costumes. In the ad, a young fruit character is encouraged to combine with others. At first glance this appears innocent, but whenever the fruits “combine,” a romantic or sexually suggestive scene unfolds—for example, an apple merges with a banana in a symbolic sexual act.
Thus, since sexual stimulation has strong appeal among adolescents, youth, and even adults, many companies and businesses intentionally associate their advertisements with sexual themes. They directly or indirectly attract their target audience with sexual content to promote their products.
Continues…
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