The porn landscape has changed radically with the exponential growth of technology. Pornography is only a quick internet search away on a personal device, making it accessible and discreet for almost anyone. One in four young people who see porn will have been exposed to it by the age of twelve. As we live in a world where watching porn while at lunch, or catching a bus is common, it’s time we started talking about it. Business leaders and parents need to be proactive to understand the impact and support young people in the workplace. They are our future leaders.
Jo Robertson, Research and Training Lead for The Light Project, is an Auckland-based sex therapist who has done extensive research on the effects of porn on young people. She’s trained in sexual dysfunction, betrayal trauma and compulsive pornography use, and is one of our amazing speakers at the upcoming Leadership Summit: It’s Time to Talk about Sexual Harm at Work on Monday, June 14, 2021.
Watch Jo’s powerful 2019 TEDxChristchurch talk, as she explains the new porn landscape, the potential impacts on our kids, and how to get past the awkwardness and have the healthy conversations that must be had.
Porn existed long before video or even photography. Archaeologists found proof that even stone-age people had fertility statues that were made solely for sexual arousal. Debates about pornography have been ongoing since at least the Victorian era. Truth is, access to porn is far from what it used to be, when we thought of the calendar girls on the wall of the mechanic’s workshop, Playboy mags and renting R18 DVDs from the video store.
An analysis of the most visited websites worldwide done in April 2021 show two porn sites in the top 10, with a third one coming in at 13. Data from the SEMrush shows that in the US, the world’s largest porn site received more website traffic in 2020 than Twitter, Instagram, Netflix, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Arousal, boredom, and stress are all quoted by the NZ Classification Office Te Mana Whakaatu as causes for people to watch porn. It often fills a void, and for some people it’s a tool to reduce anxiety. It’s about finding an escape by going to a fantasy world. Australian data on 15–29-year-olds showed that 39% of males watched porn every day. More research has been done on the negative consequences of porn than on what determines its use in the first place. And yet, it is this type of research that eventually may clarify why some people are attracted to porn while others are not, and why some people watch it compulsively. For some, watching porn is an acceptable expression of their sexuality. For others, it's a problem.
There are obvious concerns around productivity when employees view porn during work hours. It’s unlikely that this person is multitasking. Needless to say, it could cost tons of money in the long run when people aren’t doing their jobs because they’re watching porn.
Statistics released by Pornhub in 2017 claim that New Zealanders are the fifth highest users of the pornography website and plenty of that is viewed between the hours of 9.00am to 5.00pm. If you are a business owner or manager, it’s important to understand the potential issues that porn can cause, and to be prepared for any situation if the issue arises in your place of work.
Pornography in the workplace isn’t always kept in secrecy. Sexualised images or nude photos are sent over email or the office chat system, and some may keep it as a screen saver on their own computer or play videos with sexual audio for all to hear. That’s when pornography at work can create a hostile work environment, making co-workers uncomfortable and raising serious issues around sexual harassment and intimidation.
The #MeToo movement has generated a new discussion about the use of porn as a deliberate tool for creating a hostile work environment, and to harass and degrade employees at work. When an employee’s objections about the presence of porn go unanswered, your silence could lead to a whole range of problems including legal action.
Do you have a plan in place on how to deal with a member of your staff when they get caught looking at porn or if someone shares sexualised content with others during work hours? Does it mean instant dismissal? Do your employees know your policies before they join the team? Are you willing to have a conversation and offer help and support?
If you find yourself in this or a similar situation, please do not hesitate to contact us via email https://tautokomai.co.nz/contact-us or call 0800 227 233 (0800 2B SAFE). At Tautoko Mai Sexual Harm Support, we have an experienced team of counsellors and social workers that are professionally trained and available to offer personalised support.
Of the many negative effects that porn is said to cause, addiction is high on the list. A study by Dr Valerie Voon, a global authority on addiction and the leading researcher in the neuroscience department at the University of Cambridge, likened porn addiction to drug addiction. She found that it triggers the brain in a similar way. This is however still an evolving field, with limited research, and a debated topic amongst academics and clinicians
Science has shown that at a certain point, addicts lose a lot of the pleasure of their drug and start to feel like they need it. In science, this process is known as incentive motivation and it is one of the biggest signs of addiction. An uncontrollable compulsion to view porn can be as problematic as any other type of addiction. The World Health Organisation International Classification of Diseases has recently included problematic pornography use among their “impulse control disorders”.
That’s why we believe that it is time to stop looking at porn addiction as something shameful and offensive, but instead start treating it like the health issue it really is. Watch this empowering talk entrepreneur Eli Nash gave at TedxFortWayne in 2019, where he bravely shared his journey of recovery from porn addiction.
If you are a proactive business leader who is willing to open up the conversation and work on prevention of sexual harm in the workplace, we welcome you to attend our Leaders Summit: It’s Time to Talk About Sexual Harm on June 14 in Hamilton
With a full programme and a fantastic array of speakers, you will learn about identifying, understanding, and responding to sexual harm at work, the impacts of pornography in the workplace, and changing organisational culture. At Tautoko Mai, we believe that prevention and education is the key to long term change, and we hope you will join us on the day.
Spaces are limited. Secure your tickets for the Leadership Summit now!