Critical young consumers: what types of porn do teens watch, and why?

Pornography use by teens is of growing concern to parents and communities. There is, however, often little differentiation made between the types of contents being consumed or exploration of the types of pornography teens are watching and why. This paper interrogates data collected from 49 qualitative interviews, including 19 follow-up interviews and 4× focus groups with teens. This paper explores teens’ perspectives on the types of pornography accessed by themselves and their peers, and popular categories of pornography more widely. Teens appear to view various types and genres of pornography, as do adults. Some teens prefer ‘ethical’ sources of porn, that depict female and/or mutual pleasure and offer diverse representation. Additionally, teens argue that pornography serves as a useful source of sexual information that parents and schools do not provide. This research aims to foreground the perceptions and experiences of teens, recognising that they have nuanced responses to pornography.