Richard A. Panzer, Ph.D.
Founder/Director, Free Teens USA, Inc.
The Superbowl game on February 8 was great. The Halftime show was disgusting and a major “F… You” to American families and to women in general. I’m glad the Turning Point USA Halftime show drew more than 6 million away during the broadcast and 20 million views on social media pages like YouTube during and after. Viewership of the NFL Halftime show was by one report DOWN 39% from the previous year (not exactly a good business model, NFL?)
I’ll be blunt- it’s sad to see an event that should bring Americans together turned into a woke celebration of Latino women choreographed to dance like whores. (see lyrics here https://substack.com/home/post/p-187557883) If I were Hispanic, I would be furious to see my daughters, nieces, etc. portrayed as “hoes, b*tches,” sexual objects to be controlled and used, and then thrown away.
BUT, we all need to realize that the “Bad Bunny Treat Women like Whores” halftime show is just the TIP OF THE ICEBERG of a PORN CULTURE that is doing damage to boys, girls, men and women 24/7, day in and day out!
As explained by Dr. Thomas Lickona in Psychology Today, exposure to internet porn starts on average to boys in the U.S. (and the UK) at age 11, in the 5th grade. Typically, what they see is NOT of the Playboy centerfold level of nudity. A search on Google after typing the word, “porn,” leads to acts portraying penetration of a woman by 2, 3 or more men at the same time, and other acts too disgusting to describe.
As described by journalist Nancy Jo Sales:
the words the porn industry uses to describe its videos tell the story: women are “pounded,” “railed,” and “jackhammered,” called “c*nts,” “sluts,” “b*tches,” and “whores.” A search for “violent sex” on the Internet turns up millions of results.
One content analysis of 50 of the most popular Internet videos found that verbal and physical abuse of women was a common theme, with gang rape and repeated anal sex often featured. Always, the female performers appeared to be enjoying the humiliation and abuse.
If you find this hard to read, imagine these graphic images going into the mind of a teenager or a pre-teen, and staying there, affecting their views, their values, character, and how they think about sex for years, if not decades. One British study of 11-to-16-year-olds found that:
- More than half of the boys (53 percent) said they thought Internet pornography is a “realistic depiction of sex.”
- Four out of 10 girls agreed.
- By the time they were 13-14 years old, 40 percent of the boys said they wanted to copy the behaviors they had seen.
A review of research on the impact of Internet pornography on adolescents in Canada, China, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. found that:
- When teens view pornography that depicts violence (which is common), they are more likely to become aggressive in their own sexual behavior.
- The more pornography boys view, the more likely they are to agree that it’s acceptable to hold a girl down and force her to have sex.
What about the effects on men in their 20s and older? After men are exposed to pornography, they rate themselves as less in love with their partner and are more critical of their partner’s appearance and sexual performance. Men’s pornography consumption has also been linked to the extent to which they believe rape myth ideology (the belief that women cause or enjoy sexual assault).
What Can We Say to Our Kids?
Dr. Lickona concluded his Psychology Today article with suggestions for how parents can talk to their children about these issues:
- Sex is an important way of expressing and deepening love between people. Porn that shows violence such as choking someone during sex or even raping them gives a false picture of human sexuality as abusive and violent—the opposite of what sex is really like in relationships that are loving.
- Studies find that pornography can negatively affect the sexual attitudes and behaviors of those who watch it, even leading some to copy violent and abusive actions or consider them acceptable.
- Because pornography can influence what the brain finds sexually attractive, it can reduce users’ ability to have normal sexual relationships with real people.
In addition, parents can share what their faith teaches about the purposes of sex and how pornography contradicts those beliefs. He concludes:
If we find that our children have been exposed to porn—accidentally or intentionally—we need to listen calmly to how that happened and explain lovingly and clearly why pornography can be harmful and then make a positive plan for the future, including what to say and do if someone shows them pornography.
Finally, talking to our kids about the dangers of porn will be more effective if it’s part of a bigger vision—of what makes sex most meaningful, truly loving, and happiness-enhancing.
Source: Thomas Lickona, Ph.D., Should We Teach Kids About Porn’s Harms? Yes, and Here’s How, Psychology Today, July 7, 2025.
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