Riley Reynolds who recruited ‘Barely legal’ teenage models may also face criminal charges

"Every day, a new girl turns 18…Every day, a new girl…I will never run out." - Riley Reynolds

Content Warning: This piece contains graphic descriptions of mainstream pornography.

We need to talk about porn. We need to have a huge, comprehensive, massive undertaking of a conversation on the complex, contentious, divisive thing that is porn. What is not needed is relegating porn to something between children and their guardians, or something for teachers to deal with. It affects all of us, whether we like it or not. We all have a responsiblity to be part of this conversation, even if we are not using it. This thing is huge, and soundbites and one liners will never put a tidy lid on this sprawling mess.

Here are some search terms which I came across during a brief scroll around Pornhub.

When it comes to pornography, there is no shortage of opinions. We've compiled responses to some of the more common arguments from defenders of the porn industry.

Just in case you were wondering if the jury was still out on pornography's effects on young people Dr Michael Flood, Associate Professor at the University of Wollongong, took to Twitter to set the record straight. 

We hope community members and policy makers will take note. 

A new conversation is happening in educational circles, with many speaking up about the need for kids and teens to become ‘porn literate’. It is increasingly evident that kids cannot cope with the onslaught of hyper sexed, supranormal, graphic, abusive, body punishing, downright degrading images they can openly access at the click of a button. Some kids mimic what they see in their behaviours towards others; some are traumatised and wet themselves when recalling horrors their little brains can’t process; others are turned off sex for life, and share “If that’s what sex is, I don’t ever want to have it”. Yes, we have a crisis. And yes, our kids need all the protection, equipping and restoration we can give them.

However, ‘Porn Literacy’ will fail to effectively address porn culture, particularly if it’s the version advocated for by UK voice Jenni Murray, who recently called for porn to be shown in classrooms. The argument is that carefully chosen examples of pornography could be shown to teenagers from, say, the age of 15.