Adolescents, Pornography Use, and Problematic Pornography Use: A Rapid Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Rapid systematic review of longitudinal observational studies
PubMed 40631652 · doi:10.5765/jkacap.250015
What was done
Authors conducted a rapid systematic review following PRISMA guidelines to evaluate longitudinal studies examining pornography use, problematic pornography use, and associated outcomes in adolescent populations.
What was found
The review included 44 longitudinal studies categorized into 10 thematic areas: sexual behaviors; sexual risk behaviors; sexual satisfaction; permissiveness; sexual aggression, dating victimization, and rape myths; academic performance; the COVID-19 pandemic; religiosity; psychopathology, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction; and other consumption variables. The abstract reports no quantitative effect estimates or meta-analytic numbers, stating that findings were heterogeneous, with significant associations in some domains and inconsistent results in others.
Why it matters
This review compiles the longitudinal evidence base on adolescent pornography exposure, highlighting that documented associations with adolescent well-being and sexual behaviors remain mixed rather than uniform.
Limits
The abstract reports no numerical data, effect sizes, sample sizes of included cohorts, or formal quality assessments. As a rapid review, methodological shortcuts may have limited study capture. Primary evidence is entirely observational, precluding causal inference.