5 Ways Pornography Affects Teens’ Brains

In this modern world where everything is accessible, a teenager can easily watch anything he or she wants, including pornography. Pornography does many things to teenagers, changing their perspective and way of thinking, especially when they become addicted to it. Here are the ways pornography affects  teenagers’ brains.
1. The Hormone Dopamine
This hormone is responsible for memory, attention, mood, and pleasure, which is activated whenever a person feels good. Pornography always brings excitement as it satisfies a person’s sexual urges. So when a teenager watches it too often, more dopamine is increased, which can be addictive. Their brain will unconsciously activate dopamine to the point where their body will eventually depend on it. As a result, addiction to pornography is likely to occur, destroying the teenager’s way of life.

2. Memory Effect

Aside from developing an addiction, a teenager’s memory will also be affected. A short-term memory from a pornographic act moves to long-term memory. It affects the teenager’s way of thinking in such a way that he or she will consistently look for the same kind of experience from others. This can be devastating in the long run.
3. Changing Perceived Pleasure
The repeated act of watching porn may change a teenager’s perception of pleasure. This is called a “chemical bath.” In this condition, the brain will be unable to process the chemicals it needs at a certain level. The constant surge to bring pleasure disrupts the normal action of the central nervous system wherein pleasure is reduced so that a simple sexual act is no longer satisfying.
4. Cause of Attention Deficit Disorder
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is defined as a psychological condition where a person quickly reacts on impulse, affecting the attention span. An addicted teenager may continue searching for new ways to satisfy his sexual urges, and so this search may lead to websites that he or she should not visit. For example, a teenager sees himself as a conservative but he may be stumbling upon websites that are masochistic or violent. With that, a teenager’s attention is disrupted as he or she keeps on looking for satisfaction instead of focusing on more mundane, everyday things.
5. Encourages Eating Disorders
Teenagers are easily influenced by many factors as their hormones change from childhood to adulthood. Pornographic films feature well-toned bodies, which can greatly influence a teenager’s perception of ideal physical attributes. With that, a teenager may take drastic measures to be sexy. Eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia may occur.