Let’s talk about sex. No, seriously, we need to talk about it. Today, we live in an era where all of our minds, young and old, male and female, have a hugely distorted view of sexuality. We can blame this problem on all we want. Lack of sexual education, divorce, and so many other problems can all be attributed to why we have so much confusion plaguing our society. We can blame all we want on the others, but in reality, we can place the blame is a particular subject: pornography.

Watching porn is truly the biggest health crisis affecting this generation. According to Covenant Eyes, nine out of ten boys and six out of ten girls are exposed to porn before the age of eighteen.[i] 64 percent of men in America have viewed porn at least once in the last month, and will continue to do so. [ii] Listing the statistics could go on for a long while, but it is easy to see how much this affects us today. What we don’t see is the underlying problems that are created because of viewing pornography.

First, pornography leads to the rise in the sex industry. In one study, of 854 prostitutes interviewed, porn led them to becoming involved in the industry.[iii] A large majority of girls in the porn industry are there because they are bought and sold at the expense of those who seek out sexual entertainment. Every click fuels the industry, by someone on one side of the screen seeking quick pleasure. As a result, this person just supported trafficking. This is an enormous issue today, with over 20 million people around the world caught in the industry, and a large majority of them here in the west are used to make pornography. [iv] This industry makes billions, all because of the porn, passing girls, and in some cases boys, along to be filmed in sex for someone’s selfish indulgence.

This leads in to the second major problem that porn creates: rape culture. Over the summer we all heard of the horrific case regarding Brock Turner. We ask ourselves, how can someone think that this is acceptable? Well, the simple and underlying answer is pornography. While we can’t be sure that Turner specifically consumed porn, we do know the psychological effects of it, and it reflects very much so in this case. In an article for Fight the New Drug, Mary Rose Somarrbia makes a statement on porn’s effects on understanding rape: “Only in the world of porn is lack of consent sexy.” [v] Porn desensitizes the mind, leading people to think that these inhumane and disgusting acts are ‘okay.’ The further one gets into viewing explicit content, the more violent forms of porn they begin to watch. This makes rape almost a seemingly normal act to those watching it online.

Lastly, relationships are effected by porn. Abuse becomes prevalent in many relationships. XXXChurch reports that 1 in 5 girls state that they have been physically or sexually abused in a partnership.[vi] Porn devalues partners, seeing them as a sex symbol, not as a human being that is to be loved and cherished. Partner violence is a huge problem, and takes its roots in one member of the relationship viewing pornography.

Porn astronomically affects our understanding of sex. Sex is a wonderful action to be practiced inside the ramifications of marriage, but factoring in porn, this can never be accomplished. Sex trafficking is going to continue, rape cases will still climb in number, and abuse will plague even more relationships. If we are ever going to enjoy sex, we must realize that we have to proactively protect ourselves from the harmful avenues that can untimely destroy our relationships.

Let’s take a stand against this huge issue that is hurting our culture. If we are addicted, then let’s have humility in our struggles, seeking possible ways in which to stop. Just admitting your addiction to porn to a close friend or family member can help enormously on the road to recovery. If we are someone who is told of an addiction, let us come to them with love, realizing that they really are addicted because they are seeking something more. Let us provide friendship and be an attentive listener, seeking ways to help those we care for stuck in this struggle. We cannot solve the issue of porn today if we are not willing to be open and vulnerable. So, let’s talk about sex, because by doing so we are actually making a difference in our society.