Understanding Internet pornography's content and its relation to adolescents' sexual attitudes

The Internet has allowed pornography to become more easily accessible, more anonymous, and more affordable than ever before. With many adolescents using this material, concerns about the impact of Internet pornography have intensified. These concerns have become part of the worldwide pornography debate, which centers on discussions of gender inequality or equality and the connection or disconnection between sex and love. In response, researchers have attempted to investigate possible effects of Internet pornography, notably on young people. However, several aspects remain understudied: the content of Internet pornography and differences in its types, and the underlying mechanisms and individual differences in how Internet pornography relates to users’ sexual attitudes. This has left some fundamental questions unanswered. To what extent and how does contemporary Internet pornography actually depict gender inequality and sex without love? Through which processes might the use of this Internet pornography influence adolescents’ sexual attitudes concerning gender inequality and sex without love? Which adolescents are more susceptible to such effects of Internet pornography? This dissertation addresses these shortcomings through a systematic content analysis of 400 videos from popular pornographic websites and data from a longitudinal survey among Dutch adolescents between 13 and 17 years old. The findings provide new insights to help answer these questions and may help inform public concerns.