Adolescents’ pornography viewing frequency and its relationship with condom attitudes

Abstract

Background This study examined adolescent pornography viewing and its’ relationship with condom attitudes. Methods Data were from 457 adolescents aged 13–18 years old who completed an online survey assessing pornography viewing frequency and condom attitudes. Results Many adolescents in our sample had viewed pornography in the past year (n = 188, 41%), with pornography viewing frequency being higher among older adolescents (P = 0.02), those who have had sex in the past year (P = 0.001), and those who identified as White (P = 0.01), LGB+ (P = 0.05), and male (P = 0.001). Adolescents who viewed pornography more frequently had more negative condom attitudes (r = −0.18, P < 0.001), and this relationship was invariant across age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and sexual intercourse status. Conclusions A substantial proportion of adolescents in our sample viewed pornography and those who view more frequently had more negative condom attitudes. Results indicate a need for experimental studies examining this relationship and interventions addressing pornography literacy among adolescents.