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Porn and Teenage Sex

Watching pornography and a history of sexual abuse linked to premarital teenage sex 

SINGAPORE: In Singapore, teenage boys who look at pornography, and teenage girls with a history of sexual abuse, are more likely to be sexually active than their counterparts.

These are the key findings of a study carried out by researchers from DSC Clinic, National Healthcare Group, National University of Singapore and Singapore General Hospital.

This study of teens, aged 14 to 19, is the "first rigorous study" here on factors for premarital sex, said DSC's head and senior consultant, Tan Hiok Hee.

The researchers interviewed 500 sexually active teenagers from the DSC Clinic and 500 non-sexually active counterparts from a general practitioner clinic between 2006 and 2008.

About 95 per cent of the sexually active boys had watched pornography, compared to 79 per cent of non-sexually active boys. And 22.5 per cent of sexually active girls had a history of sexual abuse, compared to 3 per cent of non-sexually active girls.

Director for the Singapore Children's Society, Carol Balhetchet, agreed with the findings. She cautioned: "It's a real concern. Pornography may promote aggressive sexual behaviour and violence to obtain what you want."

With sexually abused girls, "the language of love has been miscommunicated by someone they trust and respect," she added.

To monitor and reduce access to "explicit sexual media", researchers recommend that Internet Service Providers, parents and the entertainment industry work together.

They also suggested that parents and healthcare personnel "communicate openly" with adolescents on sexuality to "help (them) develop a more critical attitude towards pornography".