Internet Pornography: Variables Related to use Among Traditional-Aged College Students

Abstract The Internet has clearly increased access to pornographic materials particularly for young people who are more likely to go online. To ascertain its impact, a self-report survey was administered to more than 400 undergraduates taking introductory social science courses. The analysis indicated that family structure and parental behavior are not related to accessing pornographic sites. Much the same can be said for demographic variables such as family income, academic achievement, depression, residential status, and religiosity; although students who attended church more often had more negative views of pornography. A modest positive correlation was discovered between alcoholic consumption and viewing Internet pornography along with consuming other forms of pornography. Finally, as with other studies, significant gender differences were discovered. Compared to females, males regularly access pornographic sites and view it as normal behavior. Conversely, females did not view Internet pornography that often and more found it offensive; however a majority of females did not have a negative reaction to Internet pornography. The article concludes that based on this study and others, there is a relatively high-level of acceptance of pornographic materials among traditional-aged college students. It is certainly not news to most observers that the volume and popularity of sexually explicit materials on the Internet has increased exponentially over the past few years. Consider that between 1998 and 2007 it is estimated that the number of pornographic sites increased from 28,000 to 4.2 million and now account for 12 percent of all websites. Moreover, the subject of pornography reportedly comprises 25 percent of all search engine requests, and it is estimated that about 40 million adults regularly visit pornographic sites ( Perrin et.al 2008; Ropelato 2007). Although there is some question as to whether persistent use of pornography has actually increased over the years (Buzell 2005), the Internet certainly provides easy access and opportunity to view sexually explicit materials that are inexpensive with a seemingly endless variety to choose from. (Stern and Handel 2001) In an attempt to gauge the impact of Internet pornography on student perceptions, this paper will focus on a convenience sample of traditional-aged college students. This sample represents a generation of young people who grew-up with information technology and generally possess at least adequate computer skills (particularly compared to older age cohorts) and have had access to the Internet and pornographic sites. Currently, about 75 percent of U.S. households have the Internet, an increase of 130 percent in the last decade, and within these households, young people are more likely to go online than adults (Internet World Stats 2009; Lenhart et.al. 2005). With these thoughts in mind, the study explored several areas of research. A major focus will be to ascertain if family structure, parenting styles, and supervision are related to consumption of Internet pornography, since a number of studies have found that parenting