My high school was farily progressive and had a comprehensive sex-ed class, but my teachers never discussed nor showed porn. I feel like that’s irresponsible for a modern institution. They cannot really protect people from the negatives of the medium unless they actually display it.
I’ve consoled many people on Reddit before about penis sizes. Many young men develop a belief through porn that the average penis length is around 6 inches. In reality, the average penis length is about ~5.1 inches. 6 inches would be in the top 10th percentile. Unfortunately, pornography has a tendency to use angles and even prosthetics to enlarge or reshape the genitalia of its participants that distort its viewers’ perception of the world.
This concerns me because the people who’ve vented to me had developed a sense of shame around their bodies that lead them to engage in self-isolation. There are men out there who have a micro-penis (<3.7in), a legitimate medical condition, but that affects roughly 1 in 200 men. Most men, however, do not have this condition, nor would they even know how to properly measure to actually find out. I’ve become frustrated with the amount of misconceptions out there that has lead to needless shame, doubt, and self-loathing.
I know that some women also develop a sense of shame around their vaginas because they do not match the imagery in porn. It’s problematic that young people have access to a distorted view of their bodies without any perspective to evaluate and challenge the information they are presented with.
Yet, the issues above are really only about body dysmorphia. I have not even discussed the potential for young students to develop disruptive masturbation habits as a result of the medium that can lead to erectile dysfunction and other disorders. For instance, some people have developed habits where they masturbate 21+ times a month, or in the top 90th percentile of ejaculators.
I do not want to fully disparage pornography. Everyone is different and people can engage with the medium in ways that are healthy. Frankly, they could masturbate to it 1000+ times month and still live normal, undisrupted lifestyles. However, for America’s student population, I doubt that there isn’t at least a notable portion that have developed negative feelings about themselves, disruptive habits, or unrealistic expectations around sex as a result of pornography. Their should be teachers out there who can navigate the awkwardness and challenge the narratives presented in the medium.
Porn is too accessible and integrated into modern society for it not to play a role within sex-education. However, I recognize that it would be perceived as scandalous to bring it into the classroom. I would like to know your perspective. Perhaps there is a good reason to keep it out sex-ed classes.