Should Porn be Banned or Illegal?

Over the last fifty years, the opinion of Americans has shifted from supporting a complete ban on pornography to more nuanced measures of regulation and restriction. 

When we look at the public opinions in the US about should porn be banned and should porn be illegal – 

1. In 1973, 42% of Americans supported a complete ban on pornography. By 2022, only 28% supported a total ban, and the support has shifted to restricting access to minors.
2. Historically major religious groups such as Evangelicals, Protestants, and Catholics were in favor of the porn ban. But, they are also increasingly shifting towards restriction and regulation. 
3. Women are more supportive of completely banning porn compared to men. Only 10% of non-religious people support banning porn. 

In order to understand this shift and to answer the question should porn be banned, we need to review the arguments in favor of and against the porn ban. 

5 Reasons why Porn should be Banned? 

In the case of porn, its regulation has been an ongoing debate in our society. With internet porn, the conversation about should porn be illegal has become even more urgent. 

People supporting the porn ban have strong arguments centered around the exploitative nature of the porn industry and the risks for children. There are also arguments passionately opposing the porn ban, citing individual autonomy and the enforcement challenges as the issue. 

5 Reasons why porn should be banned 

1. Protection of children – Porn victimizes children by exposing them to harmful content either intentionally or accidentally. Children are also exploited for producing pornographic material. 
2. Protecting vulnerable adults – Individuals featured in pornography often struggle with human trafficking, drug abuse, and mental health issues. The porn industry is notorious for the manipulation and exploitation of actors. 
3. Harmful effects on society – Widespread porn consumption promotes harmful ideas about sexuality, consent, and relationships. The lack of empathy and human connection in porn results in social isolation. 
4. Moral and ethical considerations – Porn is a form of prostitution that objectifies and commodifies human bodies. It reduces the intimate sexual act to physical entertainment. 
5. Porn leads to violence – Exposure to aggression and sexual violence in porn desensitizes the viewers. It increases the likelihood of violent behavior towards women both online and offline.

5 Arguments against why porn should be banned 

1. Freedom of expression – Banning porn restricts the rights of individuals to free speech and artistic expression. Censorship infringes on the person’s right to access legal content. 
2. Adult autonomy – One group’s moral standards can’t be imposed on all others. Adults should have the right to make personal choices regarding porn. 
3. There are different views on the definition of pornography – There is no universal definition for what is porn. Depending on the cultural and religious context, the same thing might be considered art or obscene.
4. Difficulty of enforcement – Policing porn sharing through encrypted platforms, peer-to-peer networks, and offshore websites is a costly endeavor. Our laws also have difficulty keeping up with the rapidly evolving online porn. 
5. Potential for harm to other aspects of the internet – Bans and regulations are often a slippery slope. So, a porn ban might be used to censor other parts of the internet resulting in a loss of digital freedom and privacy. 

Side Effects of Watching Porn

Compulsive and frequent porn use can have harmful side effects on your health and relationships – 

1. Extreme stimulation of porn desensitizes the brain’s dopamine reward pathways and results in the escalation of content and frequency of porn-watching. 
2. Compulsive porn consumption is linked to mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression. 
3. Guilt and shame about watching porn causes distress, loneliness, and social withdrawal. 
4. Excessive porn consumption is linked to sexual performance issues such as Erectile Dysfunction (ED) and low libido. 
5. Porn creates unrealistic expectations about bodies and sex, which can result in dissatisfaction with real-life sex.
6. Secrecy of porn causes emotional distance and relationship dissatisfaction among the couples. 

Pornography Laws around the World 

The pornography laws around the world vary in how they define pornography. 

Child pornography is universally banned. On the other hand, there are varying degrees of regulations for production, possession, personal consumption, and distribution. 

The cultural context plays a major role in defining the pornography laws. In the case of religious societies such as Saudi Arabia, pornography is illegal, and internet porn is heavily censored. Countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, North Korea, and Vietnam have completely banned pornography.

European countries such as Sweden, Netherlands, and Denmark have very liberal porn laws. As long as the porn features consenting adults, there are no laws to restrict the production or distribution of pornographic content.

In India, viewing porn in private is not considered a crime. However, distribution, sale, or public display of pornographic content is illegal. In Japan, although adult porn is not illegal, images of genitals have to be pixelated. 

In the United States, most adult pornography is legal for personal consumption. However, Federal law strictly bans child pornography, revenge porn, bestiality and so on. The states can regulate the production and distribution of content with age verification laws and other obscenity legislation. 

How BlockP can help get rid of Porn Addiction? 

There are many challenges to banning and regulating internet porn. As of now, We can’t eliminate internet porn, But BlockP is the best adult content blocker to protect ourselves from it.

BlockP uses AI to filter the websites and Apps on your devices in real-time. It can detect and block pornographic content in the form of images, text, or video. So, you are completely protected from accidental exposure to porn that might trigger a relapse.

When you quit porn, you will experience intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms. BlockP’s password protection feature keeps you safe during those moments of temptation by preventing unblocking and uninstalling. It also works in incognito mode and across all your devices. 

BlockP lets you block specific adult websites. You can also set up custom filters to block keywords that are personally triggering for you. The whitelist feature of BlockP ensures uninterrupted access to essential websites and its focus mode prevents distraction from social media.