Growing up in a Porn Culture
February 2016
Three decades ago, the U.S. Surgeon General recognized pornography as a serious health concern. Since then, the availability of brutal and degrading porn has vastly expanded particularly online. Porn today is no longer the Playboy and Penthouse of yesteryear. Add to this that internet traffic to porn sites far exceeds the combined traffic to Google, Netflix and Amazon. What is happening and what can we do?
Using examples from mainstream magazines, hip-hop, television shows and movies, Dr. Dines explored how masculinity and femininity are shaped by a porn culture, and the ways parents and caregivers can help youth navigate this toxic terrain.
Dr. Gail Dines is an internationally acclaimed author and speaker, and founder of Culture Reframed. She has received the Myers Center Award for the Study of Human Rights. Her latest book, Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality, focuses on the hyper-sexualization of our culture and the ways in which pornographic images filter down into mainstream pop culture.
Read about Culture Reframed: the research-driven education program to prevent, resist, and heal the harms of violent mainstream pornography and hypersexualized pop culture.
35%
The percentage of daily searches on the internet related to porn.
11 years old
The average age boys first view pornography.
88%
Of top rated porn scenes contain aggressive acts. 94% of the time the act is directed towards a woman.
Watch highlights from Dr. Dines compelling presentation.