Child Proofing Porn Initiative

In working on this project, I have learned about how easily youth are able to access
pornography and the effects it can have on their development and future relationships. Studies
show that 34% of youth between 10 and 17 intentionally view pornography (Hornor, 2020).
There is a high risk to the still developing reward system involved in youth experiencing a
pornography addiction. Many youth in a qualitative surveys report that “…it just happened so
fast” this is because, like cocaine, pornography prevents the reuptake of serotonin and
dopamine (Agastya, et al., 2020). If this repeatedly happens, an addiction is developed.
With sexual stimuli all around, it is easy for youth to get trapped in the cycle of addiction. With
enough exposure youth and adults can develop attentional bias towards sexually explicit
images (Love, et al., 2015). The executive functioning system in the brain is conditioned to find
sexual images or addiction-related cues which in turn elicit craving reactions, the release of
dopamine (Love, et al., 2015). Youth who use pornography often have problem sexualized
behaviors and premature sexual activity (Hornor, 2020). Other issues can include high-risk
sexual behaviors, sexual aggression, gender role distortion, and the objectification of women
and men (Hornor, 2020).
Treatment for youth in pornography addiction looks different but should involve harm
reduction (Yar, 2019). Skill-building around how to build healthy relationships and
accountability can help youth navigate through a pornography addiction. Furthermore,
systemic change is possible. This can include the harm reduction model and implementation of
Bill S-203 which would require age verification in order to access online pornography. Making
pornography less accessible for youth.

For more information about Bill S-203:
-Public Bill (Senate) S-203 (43-2) - First Reading - Protecting Young
Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act - Parliament of
Canada. https://parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-2/bill/S-203/first-reading
- Senate Bill S-203 - An Act Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to
Pornography https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=436610161055375
We would really appreciate your support.
Please help us in the endeavor by signing the petition that calls upon the House of Commons
to adopt Bill S-203, Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act



Footnote References
Agastya, I. G. N., Siste, K., Setiawan Nasrun, M. W., & Kusumadewi, I. (2020). Cybersex
addiction: an overview of the development and treatment of a newly emerging disorder.
Medical Journal of Indonesia, 29(2), 233–241. https://doiorg.proxy.ufv.ca:2443/10.13181/mji.rev.203464
Hornor, G. (2020). Child and Adolescent Pornography Exposure. Journal of Pediatric
Health Care, 34(2), 191–199. https://doiorg.proxy.ufv.ca:2443/10.1016/j.pedhc.2019.10.001
Love, T., Laier, C., Brand, M., Hatch, L., & Hajela, R. (2015). Neuroscience of Internet
Pornography Addiction: A Review and Update. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland),
5(3), 388–433. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs5030388
Majid Yar. (2019). Protecting children from internet pornography? A critical assessment of
statutory age verification and its enforcement in the UK. Policing: An International
Journal, 43(1), 183–197. https://doi-org.proxy.ufv.ca:2443/10.1108/PIJPSM-07-2019-0108