At the age when children begin to learn to multiply and divide, nine years old, many enter the sordid world of pornography. And no, they don’t do it voluntarily, because at this age their concerns are very different. They usually do it accidentally (30%), through smartphones, with advertising that comes to them unexpectedly. One click is enough. It’s there, it’s accessible and it’s free. Parents are not aware of it, not by a long shot (75% don’t know).
Nor do they know that between the ages of 13 and 15, half of young people watch porn on the internet. And they do it routinely. Nothing prevents them, there are open platforms for everything and everyone.
The problem? That the little ones are not able to assimilate what they are seeing. These scenes are too strong for their minds to process what these violent images show. And, moreover, they all do it alone, without accompaniment, paint it as they can, explains Alejandro Villena, psychologist and clinical director at the Dale una Vuelta association. What they see can distort children’s perception of sexuality or promote inappropriate and harmful behavior during childhood, he says.
40% of teenage boys and 20% of girls are at risk of becoming addicted to pornography, says Villena, who treats minors with this kind of problem. “The consumption of pornography can generate a distorted sexual desire, which leads to dissatisfaction, complexes and dysfunctions. In some cases, over time, it can alter brain structures due to its addictive component”, says Jorge Gutiérrez, director of Dale una vuelta.
“We are shocked by sexual assaults, gang rapes… but we don’t do anything about it, neither politicians, nor society, nor parents,” says Gutiérrez.
To curb “this public health problem”, as defined by the Dale una vuelta team, yesterday they presented the “Generation XXX” campaign, endorsed by the Spanish Office of the European Parliament, in which they demand “measures to verify an effective way the age of access to adult content platforms”. “We demand that our political representatives assume their responsibility and address this issue decisively. We call for further development of the necessary legislation and effective mechanisms to force adult content platforms to verify the age of users. We cannot allow the lack of control to continue exposing minors to inappropriate and dangerous content for their mental and emotional health”, they point out.
Because what do minors see on these websites? The categories with the most demand for porn today are revenge porn, gang rapes, degradation and incest. And these pages contain 94% violence directed at women; 89%, physical assaults; 95% show the aggression as something pleasant, and half, verbal attacks.
The consequences of porn consumption at an early age are serious, they say. Many develop behaviors that trivialize, eroticize, legitimize and normalize violence. Also a distorted sexual desire that can lead to sexual dissatisfaction, complexes and dysfunction. Lack of empathy and view of women as a mere object for personal satisfaction, among others.
Gutiérrez urges to stop the access of minors and says that it must be done now. There is enough legislation (Spanish and EU) requiring age verification, and more to come from Europe. But it must be done now to protect children, the future of society.
