Is porn a good sex educator?

Heaps of young people use porn to learn about sex, - in one study 73% of young people in Aotearoa said they use it as a learning tool. Most research agrees that porn isn’t a great sex ed teacher because it gives confusing messages about sex and can normalise aggression, pressuring people into sex, sexism, and racism. It also doesn’t usually include the important parts of great sex like consent, emotional connection, pleasure, safety or respect, and research shows watching it can change our expectations, relationships, and ideas about real life sex. Here’s what young people said about porn as a form of sex education.

The differences between porn sex and real sex

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“I think that porn only covers the sexual aspect of relationships and it doesn’t even do that very well.”

“They’re trained professionals and most of the time, they’re not enjoying themselves. It’s just acting. I feel it sets unrealistic standards for what is actually achievable and it sets unrealistic standards for what is also safe.”

“It potentially gives people a bad idea of what sex is and how it works because it doesn’t encompass things like consent and safe sex and things like that.”

“It definitely had a huge role in helping young people figuring out their sexuality. It has for me as well. Watching or looking at different kinds of porn does help you figure out what your preferences are.”

“It should never be assumed that [porn] is a learning tool, in the same way that Lord of the Rings isn’t a great learning tool about the setting of New Zealand.”

Nau Mai Haere Mai

“I think that porn only covers the sexual aspect of relationships and it doesn’t even do that very well.”

“They’re trained professionals and most of the time, they’re not enjoying themselves. It’s just acting. I feel it sets unrealistic standards for what is actually achievable and it sets unrealistic standards for what is also safe.”

“It potentially gives people a bad idea of what sex is and how it works because it doesn’t encompass things like consent and safe sex and things like that.”

“It definitely had a huge role in helping young people figuring out their sexuality. It has for me as well. Watching or looking at different kinds of porn does help you figure out what your preferences are.”

“It should never be assumed that [porn] is a learning tool, in the same way that Lord of the Rings isn’t a great learning tool about the setting of New Zealand.”