Key Messages
- Viewing pornography is a sexual experience.
- Students should consider their own values and giving / receiving consent if viewing or creating sexual content.
- There is potential for young people to receive unrealistic or harmful messages about sex from pornography.
Learning Intention
To allow students to critically examine the potential harm pornography could have but that pornography is not always harmful. The use of pornography in relationships should include communication, consent, respect and mutuality.
Time
30 Minutes
Required Resources
- Class set of What’s the harm? handouts or a set of “Pornography. What’s the harm?” cards per group
Success criteria
- Identify viewing pornography as a sexual behaviour which requires their consent to engage with.
- Identify potential harms to themselves or others if viewing pornography.
Teaching Notes
This activity will stimulate discussion around a potentially sensitive subject. It is important to validate a range of societal values about pornography, but also to challenge any myths or stereotypes presented. The classroom should be a safe space to discuss some of the complexities around the use of pornography. Pornography can influence gendered expectations about sexual pleasure and performance.
It is important that students recognise that pleasurable sex is usually about positive feelings of self-esteem and being able to communicate sexual needs to another person. Potential harms students may list include:
- Reliance on pornography for sexual arousal
- Unrealistic expectations of sexual experiences
- Depiction of aggression / dominance over women
- Unrealistic body types (penis / breast size)
- Addiction
- Lack of consent shown
- Lack of contraception shown
- Lack of STI risk shown
- Focus on male pleasure
- Lack of diversity
Procedure
- Divide the class into groups of five or six students.
- Distribute a set of What’s the harm? cards to each group.
- Ask each group to categorise each card under one of the heading cards (potentially harmful/ unsure/ not harmful). Allow 15- 20 minutes for this.
Questioning
- Which scenarios had potential for harm?
- What type of harm could they cause?
- How could young people minimise their potential harm?
- Was it easy for the group to agree on the placement of the cards? Why or why not?
- What might be some of the gendered messages young people receive from porn? (List these responses on the board.)
- How might porn affect expectations around sexual performance? Do you think this might be different for males than females?
- What role do you think communication plays in achieving pleasurable sex?
- How might people communicate their sexual needs?
- Where could someone go if they want more information or support?