Adolescent Consumption of Pornographic Materials: Prevalence and Psychosocial Correlates Based on a Longitudinal Study

In this study, prevalence and psychosocial correlates of consumption of pornographic materials in Chinese adolescents were examined over 4 years. Results showed that adolescent consumption of pornographic materials generally increased throughout the junior secondary school years. Compared with that of traditional pornographic materials, adolescent consumption of pornographic materials on the Internet was higher. Growth curve analyses showed that age was related to initial level of pornography consumption and gender was related to growth trajectory of the consumption; family intactness also influenced growth rate in consumption of pornography on the Internet. Initial level of pornography consumption in early adolescence, gender, positive youth development qualities, and family functioning also predicted consumption of pornographic materials in middle adolescence. The present findings suggested that positive youth development and family functioning are protective factors for adolescent consumption of pornographic materials.