Male Adolescents and Contemporary Pornography

Since the advent of the Internet, the pornography business has expanded to reach audiences that historically lacked access to sexually explicit media. Simultaneously, Internet-based pornographic media has grown in intensity and explicitness that surpasses any of the previous and more traditional forms of eroticism (e.g., books, magazines, and mainstream movies). While pornography is legally produced exclusively for adult consumption, it is widely used by adolescents, with males generally regarded as the primary consumers. Coupled with the reported negative consequences of male adolescents’ use of pornography is the lack of understanding of the content of contemporary pornography among most family counselors. This article reviews implications of counseling families with adolescents impacted by pornography use.