Can porn be a positive for sex education?

Porn films are being watched through the internet worldwide and it shows that at most 2 billion net users from rising nations are tuned to it. These films, whether it be short or full length, has become a learning medium for adolescents on sex and sexuality. This is not only trending in rich countries. Kids in economically challenged nations are also finding porn as their first-time learning tool.

Five thousand individuals with ages 18 to 24 in India participated in a survey about porn watching. It was revealed that 92% of the 5,000 participants have experienced watching porno over the net. And this will surprise you – men are not the only ones who watches online and offline porn. In the 92% who were regulars of internet porn, 84% of that is young ladies and they weren’t awkward about it. Of course, 97% are men which is a visibly higher percentage.

Not only that – half of the participants have confessed that they are into “sexting” and 28% of them has either sent or received a “dick pic”. It only shows that wherever you are, in India or in the UK, porn is just rampant.

These findings are alarming and it is high time that young people must be able to understand sex in a positive perspective. They must also learn how to facilitate girl-boy relationships before it is too late. Online porno is teaching them the act itself because it is not appropriate to talk within the family or the school setting. Porn has become their sex education medium and it has a negative implication since porn displays the act only and not explains the consequences of it.

Unlike in some Western countries where sex education classes are mandatory in middle school and high school, there are some countries which do not talk about sex in formal settings. There are also other countries which use cultural organizations to disseminate information about sex. For women in Sierra Leone (Africa), they are secret organizations which discuss and pass on information and customs on sex to young girls. As for Uganda, also in Africa, they have their paternal aunts and maternal uncles to discuss with young ones of both sexes, as to how it all happens. These groups are not as strong as before and some even omitted the tradition.

If there is sex education, chances are that death among young mother and their babies of childbirth reasons with be minimized. Also, the alarming risk percentage of young adolescents exposed to sexually transmitted diseases will also be lessened. Overall sexual health will also be enriched if adolescents are well-educated. But the problem is that most governments are not keen on implementing sex education classes in school or other locales. Even in the UK, Personal, Social and Health Education are not required.

Pornography online cannot be banned or stopped and because children can easily access these extra-marital sex websites, there are organizations worldwide that has tapped into the internet scene like Love Matters, #Chau Tabu and Maya Apa which aim to provide sex education awareness and help online and to combat the rampancy of porn sites like Smut 6.

They teach everyone who is interested about sex education, the human anatomy, how to prevent sexually transmitted infections and the importance of family planning. This is to involve millions of young individuals, something that traditional and cultural sex orientation organizations cannot reach.

Still, it is a long way to go. Sites like the PornHub have dominated the porn internet world and it has a massive 1.3 Billion people tuning in each month. And to think, a sex education website called the Scarleteen which is being managed in the United States only receives 2 million visitors.

Sex education organizations must be hand in hand in combatting porn site managers as to the way in which they educate people in sex. It is very important that responsible porn is being exhibited and also, since various gender orientations are being shown, it will be helpful to show sex as something respectful, balanced and enjoyable whatever the gender of the person is. This is not limited to the male and female gender only.

Financial has always been an issue to this because building and upholding sites and apps concerns money. But at the expense of people not being able to learn about proper sex education and reproductive health basics, it is really a dilemma. Patrons are being contacted so that these mediums can be made available and kids will know the essence of sex education compared to pornography.

Helping young individuals in producing settings wherein sex education is formally discussed will also build the ideas in their minds that sex is a normal thing; that there is no need to hide porn sites in their browser because there are wholesome websites that discusses everything about sex. Eventually, they will come to understand that there really is no need to watch pornographic material if they want to learn about sex.

It cannot be denied. Sex is a normal thing and it is a very pleasurable act to do. But responsible sex must be upheld – if the government can help, it will be so much better. Sexual health must also be prioritized for the purpose of eradicating unplanned pregnancies and child-mothers mortality.