Description:
Prior to 2000, most young people, especially boys, would first encounter pornographic images in magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse. Their access to these (mainly) soft-core images was limited, so it was not a pivotal issue in terms of sexual health and development of young people, and pornography did not serve as the primary source of sex education. Research shows that since 2000, the internet has become the main vehicle for porn, and hardcore porn is just a click away—it is free, violent, and based on the degradation and abuse of women. Drawing together research from multiple disciplines, I will discuss the ways that early access to pornography undermines the healthy social, sexual, emotional, and cognitive development of young people. Culture Reframed’s Parents Programs are designed to help build resilience and resistance in young people to pornography and hypersexualized media. The second half of this webinar will cover the conceptualization of the programs, the theory of change that underlies the overall strategy and vision, how (and why) they were developed to ensure scientific credibility, and the way in which the programs are part of—and promote—a public health approach to the problem of hypersexualized media and pornography.
Facilitator:
Gail Dines, Culture Reframed.
Dr. Gail Dines, a Professor Emerita of Sociology, has been researching and writing about the porn industry for well over thirty years. She is a recipient of the Myers Center Award for the Study of Human Rights in North America, and author of numerous books and articles. Her latest book, Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality, has been translated into five languages. Dr Dines is the founding president and CEO of the non-profit, Culture Reframed. Dedicated to building resilience and resistance in children and youth to the harms of a hypersexualized and pornified society, Culture Reframed develops cutting-edge educational programs that promote healthy development, relationships, and sexuality. Dr. Dines’ work is the focus of a film by the Media Education Foundation called Pornland: The Documentary
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