HEALTH

The potential issues of pornography use and pornography addiction

May 4, 2023, 9:00 PM | Updated: May 9, 2023, 7:52 am

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SALT LAKE CITY — SB 287 has brought the usage of pornography in the state of Utah to the forefront of the news. This bill has left many Utahns wondering, “Are there potential risks when it comes to pornography use?”

Dave and Dujanovic co-host Dave Noriega sat down with Assistant Professor and Licensed Clinician at BYU, Adam Fisher, to ask what role pornography plays in our platonic and romantic relationships.

“If we’re talking about, you know, online sexual imagery and media in general, it’s pretty common,” he says. “It’s safe to say a majority of people do, whether they’re religious or not, at least once a month or more. Men, more than women, but both do.”

Through his work with primarily heterosexual marriages, Fisher said he’s noticed that pornography use can cause a few things. Namely, feelings of dishonesty, shame, and secrecy.

“Any time you add shame and secrecy to anything sexual or erotic, this can, kind of, become a problem,” Fisher says.

These feelings, according to Fisher, can lead to other things.

“One partner sort of demanding, like, ‘Promise me you won’t do this,’ the other person agreeing, but then breaking the promise later, which sort of sets up even kind of more betrayal,” he said.

Additionally, Fisher said many teens learn about sex through pornography, which he says is a terrible idea. He even compares this to watching “The Fast and the Furious” to learn how to drive.

“We might disagree on the source of [sex education],” he says. “But we all agree that this is not good sex education.”

Listen to the full segment below:

Listen to Dave & Dujanovic on weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

Related: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

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The potential issues of pornography use and pornography addiction