Pornography
Hear this word Pornography
Also known as: Porn, nudie magazines, adult movies, erotica
Image description: Limiting access to pornography
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What Is It?
Videos, photos, drawings, or words that are created for sexual excitement. Pornography is a form of entertainment for some adults. Pornography is not created to be educational.
Some pornography is created in ways that are unfair and unkind. Some pornography is illegal.
Any pictures or video that include children or a person under age 18 (whether you know the person or not) may be considered child pornography, which is illegal. Having those images on a phone or laptop could lead to arrest or other criminal problems.
An Example
Kallie asks her parent if she should use pornography to learn about sex. Kallie’s parent explains that pornography is not used to learn accurate information about sex. It is something some adults use for entertainment.
Kallie decides to learn more about sex by having honest conversations with her parent and using websites and books from the Your Sexual Health Toolkit Resource Hub.
What to Know
Every glossary word connects to different parts of the Sexuality Wheel. Explore the information below to learn more.
- Pornography is a form of entertainment for some adults. Pornography does not show reality and it is not usually created to educate people about bodies in a realistic way. Pornography often does not show different types of people or body types in positive ways.
- It’s important that people not compare themselves to the people in the pornography. Much of what is shown is altered or edited to look different from reality.
- Some people use pornography to help get answers to questions they have about sex. Pornography is not created to be educational. It is entertainment. If a person has questions about sex, they can visit Resource Hub or plannedparenthood.org/learn
- Pornography often does not include safer sex conversations or images of people using safer sex methods such as condoms. When pornography is being made, these conversations might happen, but they are often removed during editing. Pornography is not a good way to learn about safer sex methods.
- Pornography is created for adults ages 18 and over. Pornography is not created for people under age 18. Some pornography is created in ways that are illegal and that are not fair or kind to the people in the picture, video, etc.
- People must be careful when sending sexual or naked selfies to romantic partners. Any pictures or video that include a person under age 18 (whether you know the person or not) may be considered child pornography, which is illegal. Having those images on a phone or laptop could lead to arrest or other criminal problems.
Think about
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What did you learn about pornography?
To learn more, explore websites, books, and other resources in the Resource Hub or visit other parts of Your Sexual Health Toolkit like our online game, Our Stories, Our Journeys: A Sexual Health Game!
You can also visit www.thepconversation.org to learn more about the myths and realities of pornography.
If you had questions about sex, where could you go to get answers instead of pornography?
Write down or record an audio note with any questions you have to ask someone you trust. You may also find answers to your questions by using websites, books, and other resources in the Resource Hub.
You can also visit www.thepconversation.org to learn more about the myths and realities of pornography.