{"id":189217,"date":"2021-01-06T10:43:19","date_gmt":"2021-01-06T15:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=189217"},"modified":"2022-03-01T10:38:10","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T15:38:10","slug":"young-adults-say-pornography-main-source-of-info","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2021\/young-adults-say-pornography-main-source-of-info\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Adults Say Porn Is Their Most Helpful Source of Information About How to Have Sex"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin sphnews-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-media-focus-right-middle has-text-position-x-right has-dark-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-scaled.jpg\" class=\"has-background-opacity has-background-opacity-30\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-755x503.jpg 755w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2021\/01\/Young-Adults-Say-Porn-Is-Their-Most-Helpful-Source-of-Information-About-How-to-Have-Sex-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">pornography<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#8216;Porn Isn\u2019t There to Teach You What You Are Supposed to Do When You Are Having Sex&#8217;\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">In a US survey, a quarter of  young adults ages 18-24 years old said that porn is their most helpful source of information about how to have sex. <br><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar sphnews-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">January 6, 2021<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/authors\/michelle-samuels\/\">Michelle Samuels<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>Young adults ages 18-24 years old in the US say that porn is their most helpful source of information about how to have sex, according to a new study led by a School of Public Health researcher and <a href=\"https:\/\/rdcu.be\/cc4FZ\">published in the journal <em>Archives of Sexual Behavior<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the nationally representative survey, a quarter of young adults said porn was their most helpful source of information about how to have sex. Slightly less than a quarter said sexual partners were the most helpful source, and fewer pointed to friends, parents, media, or healthcare professionals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, female respondents were much more likely than male respondents to report that their partners were the most helpful source of information about how to have sex. Heterosexual men were most likely to say that porn was their most helpful source of information about how to have sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe evidence suggests that young adults, and in particular heterosexual men, undervalue talking to their partners about what is pleasurable\u2014too many of them may believe that it\u2019s possible to be \u2018good at sex\u2019 independent of any feedback from a particular sex partner, which is a belief they may be getting from pornography,\u201d says study lead author <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/emily-rothman\/\">Emily Rothman<\/a>, professor of community health sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rothman and colleagues at Indiana University School of Public Health\u2013Bloomington used data from the Indiana University\u2013based <a href=\"https:\/\/nationalsexstudy.indiana.edu\/index.html\">2015 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior<\/a>, and analyzed responses from 357 young adults (18-24 years old) and 324 adolescents (14-17 years old) who said that they had gotten helpful information about how to have sex. (Nearly as many young adults and adolescents in the survey reported that they hadn\u2019t gotten any helpful information.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among 14-17-year-old adolescents, parents were the leading source of information, followed by friends. Only 8 percent of the adolescents said porn was the most helpful source of information. However, among adolescents who had never had a helpful conversation with parents about sex, media (23.4 percent) and sexual partners (12.8 percent) were their primary sources of information. Like their older peers, boys were also more likely than girls to report that porn was their most helpful source of information about how to have sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe good news is that, when parents have conversations with their teenage children about sex, we think that their children are listening and are less likely to see porn as a good source of information,\u201d Rothman says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe bad news is that young adults are misunderstanding what porn is there for. Most free, online pornography is there for entertainment and to make money for the creators. It isn\u2019t there to teach you what you are supposed to do when you are having sex.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From a public health perspective, Rothman says it is worrisome that a sizable percentage of young adults consider porn a helpful source of information about how to have sex. \u201cComprehensive sex education that teaches what I think of as \u2018sexual social skills,\u2019 or interpersonal communication about sex, is needed and important, and research that helps us determine how to teach young people how to have fulfilling, safer, consensual sex is crucial.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories alignleft sphnews-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>sexuality<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2020\/pornography-is-not-a-public-health-crisis\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Pornography Is Not a \u2018Public Health Crisis\u2019<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">January 9, 2020<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Young adults ages 18-24 years old in the US say that porn is their most helpful source of information about how to have sex, according to a new study led by a School of Public Health researcher and published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior. In the nationally representative survey, a quarter of young [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10989,"featured_media":189242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"{\"post_id\":158297,\"hed\":\"Pornography Is Not a \\u2018Public Health Crisis\\u2019\",\"dek\":\"Next Article\",\"class\":\"wp-block-editorial-billboard sphnews-block-editorial-billboard\",\"backgroundType\":\"image\",\"backgroundOpacity\":\"100\"}","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"pornography","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[3516],"sphnews-article-category":[3519,3525,3531,3540,3563],"sphnews-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"profile_tax":[295],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/189217"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10989"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189217"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/189217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208391,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/189217\/revisions\/208391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189217"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=189217"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-article-category?post=189217"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-topic?post=189217"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=189217"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=189217"},{"taxonomy":"profile_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_tax?post=189217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}