A study recently released by Burnet Institute Researcher Dr Megan Lim has revealed that Aussie teenagers are watching more porn and watching it at a younger age, shocking oblivious mums across the country. The study, which investigated how commonly pornography was viewed by Australians aged 15 – 29, also found that users of porn are more likely to be male, and well-educated. What this type of education refers to, it’s hard to say, but we can only hope it relates to the exact level of possible free taxi rides needed to trick a passenger into shooting a scene.
All investigation into Fake-taxi aside, the study presented other interesting findings. For example, while 80% of young men said they watched porn weekly, nearly two-thirds of young women watch at least monthly. An introspective Waleed Aly exclusive investigation into the gender disparity in porn-watching has not been confirmed, but we are watching this space eagerly. The research also confirmed that interventions such as age verification are not likely to stop under-18’s from viewing pornography, people in the LGBTI+ community watch porn more frequently, and the age of viewers is getting younger.
However, in what is perhaps the most interesting revelation of all, links have been found between porn use and mental health problems. This is certainly significant, but the exact nature of the correlation is murky. Is it because those who are more likely to view porn are single? Is someone miserable because they watch porn? Or do they watch porn because they are miserable? Perhaps we'll never know, but if this study is to be considered, then the future of sex in Australia, much like censored Hentai, is more unclear than ever.
