Sexualized Violence

Violent pornography is widespread and easily accessible through films, magazines, and the Internet. Forbes magazine recently estimated the pornographic industry to be worth more than $56 billion. Pornography involving violence (i.e., sexualized violence) is thought by many to be highly offensive, abhorrent, and out-of-place in civilized society. Recent analyses reveal that sexual violence abounds in the pornographic industry, with violence being shown in about 25% of pornographic videos and magazines and in about 42% of pornography on the Internet. Although there is a paucity of research concerning the effects on children and adolescents of viewing violent pornography, the available research suggests that such exposure may result in problems in sexual development and may increase the risk of their acting in sexually violent ways.

Outside the research community, various individuals have claimed that pornography is a cause of violent behavior. One notable example is serial killer Ted Bundy, who killed at least 28 women or girls before his capture and subsequent execution in a Florida State Prison in January 1989. In an interview with Dr. James Dobson on the night before his execution, Bundy described his exposure as a 13-year-old to softcore pornographic material in a dumpster near his home. Bundy claimed that after this first experience with pornography, he immediately became addicted, seeking depictions of more graphic and explicit violent behavior on television and in other materials. He blamed pornographic violence in the media for turning him into a killer.

Although Bundy was adamant about the destructive effects of viewing sexualized violence on television, research has revealed a less than clear picture. To discover exactly how violent pornography influences children and adolescents is a very difficult task. Controlled experimental studies that expose children to violent pornography and then observe their subsequent behavior would be unethical and have not been conducted. Therefore, the influence of violent pornography on children and adolescents has been examined using two related approaches. The first involves correlational studies that examine pornography use in sex offenders (both adult and juvenile). As many convicted sex offenders are first exposed to violent pornography early in their youth and begin to offend about the same time, these studies are relevant to the current discussion. The second involves a wide range of experimental studies that focus on the effect of viewing violent pornography on adults (mostly college-age men).

Mike Allen and colleagues have conducted a number of meta-analyses that combine the results of all the studies conducted on the effect of viewing pornography. These studies revealed that convicted sex offenders are more likely than noncriminals to perform a sexual act, such as masturbation, consensual sex, or criminal sex, after viewing pornography. Interestingly, physiological studies have found that sex offenders are more aroused after viewing violent pornography than nonoffenders, yet are less aroused after viewing pornography depicting consensual sex. The picture is less clear with regard to pornographic use among juvenile sex offenders. Although there is very little research on this topic, recent studies estimate that about 30% to 89% of juvenile sex offenders regularly view pornographic materials. On average, those who view pornography are likely to start viewing about 11 to 12 years old. Interestingly, when asked if viewing pornography influenced their sexual deviance, 90% felt that it had no effect on their behavior. It should be noted that the above studies dealt with all forms of pornography and unfortunately did not specify if the pornography was violent or not.

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