To better inform school counseling programming and practice, we assessed trends related to pornography use and sexting behaviors among adolescents. Approximately 53% of the sample had seen pornography, with an average age of 11.5 years old at first exposure. Almost 15% of adolescents had sent a sext and 24.3% had received a sext. The correlation between pornography use and sending a sext was significant. We discuss gender and racial differences and implications for school counselors.
AlbertD.CheinJ.SteinbergL. (2013). The teenage brain: Peer influences on adolescent decision making. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(2), 114–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412471347
2.
AldridgeM. J.ArndtK. J.DaviesS. aC. (2013). Sexting: You found the sext, what to do next? How school psychologists can assist with policy, prevention, and intervention (58). Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/edc_fac_pub/13
3.
AlexandrakiK.StavropoulosV.AndersonE.LatifiM. Q.GomezR. (2018). Adolescent pornography use: A systematic literature review of research trends 2000-2017. Current Psychiatry Reviews, 14(1), 47–58. https://doi.org/10.2174/2211556007666180606073617
4.
American School Counselor Association. (2019). ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (4th ed.). ASCA.
AstleS.LeonhardtN.WilloughbyB. (2020). Home base: Family of origin factors and the debut of vaginal sex, anal sex, oral sex, masturbation, and pornography use in a national sample of adolescents. Journal of Sex Research, 57(9), 1089–1099. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1691140
8.
BakerK. E. (2016). Online pornography – should schools be teaching young people about the risks? An exploration of the views of young people and teaching professionals. Sex Education, 16(2), 213–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2015.1090968
9.
BaumanS. (2011). Cyberbullying: What counselors need to know. American Counseling Association.
10.
BeasleyT. M.SchumackerR. E. (1995). Multiple regression approach to analyzing contingency tables: Post hoc and planned comparison procedures. Journal of Experimental Education, 64(1), 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.1995.9943797
11.
BeyensI.VandenboschL.EggermontS. (2015). Early adolescent boys’ exposure to internet pornography: Relationships to pubertal timing, sensation seeking, and academic performance. Journal of Early Adolescence, 35(8), 1045–1068. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431614548069
12.
BhatC. S. (2018). Proactive cyberbullying and sexting prevention in Australia and the USA. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 28(1), 120–130. https://doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2017.8
13.
BradleyN.GileaB.OvertonS.O’NeillR. (2020). Sexting between minors: Ethical, legal, and clinical considerations. Journal of Counselor Practice, 11(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.22229/sbm1122020
14.
BrownJ. A.WiscoJ. J. (2019). The components of the adolescent brain and its unique sensitivity to sexually explicit material. Journal of Adolescence, 72(1), 10–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.01.006
15.
CarnesP. J. (2001). Cybersex, courtship, and escalating arousal: Factors in addictive sexual desire. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 8(1), 25–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/10720160127560
16.
CaseyB. J.JonesR. M. (2010). Neurobiology of the adolescent brain and behavior: Implications for substance use disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(12), 1189–1201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2010.08.017
17.
ChoateL.CurryJ. R. (2009). Addressing the sexualization of girls through comprehensive programs, advocacy, and systemic change: Implications for professional school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 12(3), 213–222. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X0901200302
18.
CohenJ. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Erlbaum.
19.
CooperA. (1998). Sexuality and the internet: Surfing into the new millennium. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 1(2), 187–193. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.1998.1.187
20.
DavisN.SchmidtC. (2016). Cyberbullying and cyber abuse intervention: The three-tiered model for schools. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 11(3–4), 366–377. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2016.1238792
21.
Dolev-CohenM.RiconT. (2020). Demystifying sexting: Adolescent sexting and its associations with parenting styles and sense of parental social control in Israel. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 14(1), Article 6https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2020-1-6
22.
DoornwaardS. M.BickhamD. S.RichM.ter BogtT. F. M.van den EijdenJ. J. M. (2015). Adolescents’ use of sexually explicit internet material and their sexual attitudes and behavior: Parallel development and directional effects. Developmental Psychology, 51(10), 1476–1488. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000040
23.
Dorn-MedeirosC. M. (2021). iCitizen: Promoting technology safety and digital citizenship in school counseling. In RauschM. A.GalloL. L. (Eds.), Strengthening school counselor advocacy and practice for important populations and difficult topics (pp. 236–254). IGI Global.
24.
DoyleC.DouglasE.O’ReillyG. (2021). The outcomes of sexting for children and adolescents: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Adolescence, 92(3), 86–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.08.009
25.
DwulitA. D.RzymskiP. (2019). Prevalence, patterns and self-perceived effects of pornography consumption in polish university students: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(10), 1861. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101861
26.
FrankelA. S.BassS. B.PattersonF.DaiT.BrownD. (2018). Sexting, risk behavior, and mental health in adolescents: An examination of 2015 Pennsylvania Youth Risk Behavior Survey data. Journal of School Health, 88(3), 190–199. http://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12596
27.
GladwinT. E.FignerB.CroneE. A.WiersR. W. (2011). Addiction, adolescence, and the integration of control and motivation. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 1(4), 364–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2011.06.008
28.
HarrisA. J.DavidsonJ. (2014). Teens, sex, and technology: Implications for educational systems and practice. In SalehF.GrudzinskasA.JudgeA. (Eds.), Adolescent sexual behavior in the digital age: Considerations for clinicians, legal professionals, and educators. Oxford University Press.
29.
HerbenickD.FuT. C.WrightP.PaulB.GradusR.BauerJ.JonesR. (2020). Diverse sexual behaviors and pornography use: Findings from a nationally representative probability survey of Americans aged 18 to 60 years. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 17(4), 623–633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.01.013
30.
HicksM. K.KernsmithP.Smith-DardenJ. (2021). Does sexting predict sexual behaviors among adolescents? Gender and race effects. Journal of Adolescence, 93(1), 126–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.10.010
31.
HindujaS.PatchinJ. W. (2012). School climate 2.0: Preventing cyberbullying and sexting one classroom at a time. Corwin.
KonradK.FirkC.UhlhaasP. J. (2013). Brain development during adolescence: Neuroscientific insights into this developmental period. Deutsches Arzteblatt International, 110(25), 425–431. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.2013.0425
34.
KrausS.RosenbergH. (2014). The pornography craving questionnaire: Psychometric properties. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 43, 451–462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0229-3
LorangM. R.McNielD. E.BinderR. L. (2016). Minors and sexting: Legal implications. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 44(1), 73–81. https://jaapl.org/content/44/1/73
37.
MaasM. K.GalT.CaryK. M.GreerK. (2022). Popular culture and pornography education to improve the efficacy of secondary school staff response to student sexual harassment. American Journal of Sexuality Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2022.2076757
38.
MadiganS.LyA.RashC. L.OuytselJ. V.TempleJ. R. (2018). Prevalence of multiple forms of sexting behavior among youth: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 172(4), 327–335. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.5314
39.
MaheauxA. J.RobertsS. R.EvansR.WidmanL.Choukas-BradleyS. (2021). Associations between adolescents’ pornography consumption and self-objectification, body comparison, and body shame. Body Image, 37, 89-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.01.014.
40.
McDonaldJ. H. (2014). Handbook of biological statistics. Sparky House Publishing.
41.
McEachernA. G.McEachern-CiattoniR. T.MartinF. (2012). Sexting: New challenges for schools and professional school counselors. Journal of School Counseling, 10(20), 1-28. http://www.jsc.montana.edu/articles/v10n20.pdf.
42.
MillerD. J.HaldG. M.KiddG. (2018). Self-perceived effects of pornography consumption among heterosexual men. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 19(3), 469–476. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000112
43.
MullenP. R.FoxJ.GoshomJ. R.WarraichL. K. (2021). Crowdsourcing for online samples in counseling research. Journal of Counseling & Development, 99(2), 221–226. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12369
PatchinJ. W.HindujaS. (2019). The nature and extent of sexting among a national sample of middle and high school students in the U.S. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(8), 2333–2343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-1449-y
PatchinJ. W.HindujaS. (2020b). Sextortion among adolescents: Results from a national survey of US youth. Sexual Abuse, 32(1), 30–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063218800469
48.
PerryS. L.SchleiferC. (2019). Race and trends in pornography viewership, 1973–2016: Examining the moderating roles of gender and religion. The Journal of Sex Research, 56(1), 62–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2017.1404959
ReaL. M.ParkerR. A. (1992). Designing and conducting survey research. Jossey–Bass.
51.
RickettsM.MaloneyC.MarcumC.HigginsG. (2015). The effect of internet related problems on the sexting behaviors of juveniles. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 40(2), 270–284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-014-9247-5
52.
RostadW. L.Gittins-StoneD.HuntingtonC.RizzoC. J.PearlmanD.OrchowskiL. (2019). The association between exposure to violent pornography and teen dating violence in grade 10 high school students. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(7), 2137–2147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-1435-4
53.
RothmanE. F. (2021). Pornography and public health. Oxford University Press.
54.
RothmanE. F.AdhiaA. (2016). Adolescent pornography use and dating violence among a sample of primarily Black and Hispanic, urban-residing, underage youth. Behavioral Sciences, 6(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs6010001
55.
ShinJ.LeeC. H. (2019). Exposure to internet pornogrpahy and sexually aggressive behaviour: Protective roles of social support among Korean adolescents. Journal of Social Aggression, 25(2), 90–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552600.2018.1528795
StulhoferA.TafroA.KohutT. (2019). The dynamics of adolescents‘ pornography use and psychological well-being: A six-wave latent growth and latent class modeling approach. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 28(3), 1567–1579. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-019-01318-4
58.
VandenboschL.PeterJ. (2016). Antecedents of the initiation of watching sexually explicit internet material: A longitudinal study among adolescents. Mass Communication & Society, 19(4), 499–521. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2016.1148171
59.
VolkowN. D.BoyleM. (2018). Neuroscience of addiction: Relevance to prevention and treatment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(8), 729–740. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17101174
60.
WatsonJ. C.LenzA. S.SchmitM. K.SchmitE. L. (2016). Calculating and reporting estimates of effect size in counseling outcome research. Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation, 7(2), 111–123. https://doi.org/10.1177/2150137816660584
61.
WidmanL.JavidiH.MaheauxA. J.EvansR.NesiJ.Choukas-BradleyS. (2021). Sexual communication in the digital age: Adolescent sexual communication with parents and friends about sexting, pornography, and starting relationships online. Sexuality & Culture, 25(6), 2092–2109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09866-1
62.
WillisM.BridgesA. J.SunC. (2022). Pornography use, gender, and sexual objectification: A multinational study. Sexuality & Culture. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-022-09943-z
63.
WrightP. J.HerbenickD.PaulB. (2020). Adolescent condom use, parent-adolescent sexual health communication, and pornography: Findings from a U.S. probability sample. Health Communication, 35(13), 1576–1582. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1652392
64.
WrightP. J.HerbenickD.PaulB.TokunagaR. S. (2021). Exploratory findings on U.S. adolescents’ pornography use, dominant behavior, and sexual satisfaction. International Journal of Sexual Health, 33(2), 222–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2021.1888170
ZhangX. (2010). Charging children with child pornography – using the legal system to handle the problem of “sexting. Computer Law & Security Review, 26(3), 251–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clsr.2010.03.005