By: Wall Street Journal
Date: July 2, 2022
In the pre-internet days, teens stashed Playboy magazines under their beds or sneaked peeks at late-night movies on cable. Pornography was in limited supply, even for the most curious kids.
The world is different now. Many parents have expressed to me their concerns about how easily kids find porn online. Indiana University researchers, following a study last year, estimate that 80% of U.S. teens have seen it. Many kids in the U.S. have seen porn by age 10.
What distinguishes online porn from those stashed magazines is that, as with so many other digital enticements, an endless supply is available, anytime. Imagine a 24-hour candy store where kids could gorge on sugar, without parents there to stop them. That would be bad for their bodies. So what can such readily available porn do to kids’ brains?