Introduction Pornography is one of the most contentious issues in modern society. Various views are held on the effects of pornography on the society. Some people argue that it is detrimental and damaging while others declare that it is a legitimate form of entertainment. By definition, pornography is “mediated content depicting nudity and explicit sexual acts” (Wright, 2013, p.60). Millions of Americans regularly consume pornographic content making this an important issue in our society. This paper will discuss the history of pornography and how it affects the society. History of Porn Humans have been producing various forms of pornographic material since they developed the ability to represent ideas abstractly thousands of years ago. Modern pornography can be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century. The printing press was responsible for the growth and development of pornography since the Victorian era. Peakman (2012) documents that most of the pornographic material available in England is originated from France. The development of a printing machine in 1880 that could cheaply reproduce photographs had a major impact on pornography. This technology led to the publishing of numerous magazines featuring nude models. Audiovisual pornography started with the invention of the moving pictures. However, the popularity of this medium remained low for people who had to visit cinemas to view pornographic films. The invention and widespread use of the videotape over the 1970 presented a major advancement in pornography. The VCR machine not only made it possible for producers to shoot cheap films, but it also allowed consumers to view the explicit content in the privacy of their homes. Developments in ICT during the 1990s helped the industry grow even further. Pornography in the internet was unique from the traditional formats in a number of ways. The internet made pornographic material widely available through multiple websites and in various multimedia formats including videos, animations and texts. In addition to this, the internet increased the supply of pornography by allowing consumers to be producers of the material at the same time. Effects on Society The Youth, Relationships and Marriage The youth today are growing up surrounded by a wide variety of sexually explicit media. This pornographic material has a primarily negative effect on the children and young people. According to Flood (2009), exposure to pornography helps to sustain adherence to sexist and unhealthy opinions on sex and relationships. Young male consumers of pornography are encouraged to be sexually aggressive while women are taught to be submissive. Research indicates that consumption of pornographic material intensifies supportive attitudes of sexual coercion and increases the likelihood that the individual will engage in sexual assault (Flood, 2009). Finally, pornography leads to greater sexual promiscuity among the youth. Exposure to sexually explicit material produces greater sexual knowledge and more liberal sexual attributes among young people. Studies show that young people exposed to pornography are more accepting of pre-marital sexual relations and multiple sexual partners (Wright, 2013). This exposes them to da