Today’s technology has put explicit content just a click, or even a swipe away. Phones, tablets, and computers make it possible to access pornography instantly, privately, and often at no cost. That combination of accessibility, anonymity, and affordability has fueled a massive explosion of online sexual content unlike anything seen in history.
As a result, pornography use is widespread, increasingly normalized, and reaching younger audiences than ever before.
Just as concerning, mainstream pornography platforms have become powerful cultural teachers of sexual behavior. Studies show that a troubling share of the videos hosted on the most popular pornography sites in the U.S. and U.K. include themes of force, coercion, or abuse. Many of these videos may actually show real sexual violence or non-consensual sexual acts.
This means children and teens who stumble—intentionally or unintentionally—into these sites are often being exposed to sexually violent and degrading content from their very first encounter. Instead of healthy, respectful relationships, many young people are being shaped by messages of exploitation, domination, and harm.
Scripture reminds us:
Pornography pulls hearts and minds away from these truths. It harms marriages, fuels addiction, isolates individuals, and contributes to a culture of exploitation—especially of women and children.
Eagle Forum of Alabama stands with parents, educators, and communities working to protect children, strengthen families, and expose the true harms of the pornography industry. We believe God calls us not only to reject harmful messages, but to shine light into the darkness and champion His vision for human dignity, healthy relationships, and strong families.
The 1986 Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography described pornography as content that is mainly sexual in nature and created chiefly to stimulate sexual arousal.
Not all pornography is protected by law.
Federal law already prohibits the distribution of obscene material—that is, hardcore pornography that crosses legal lines—through the Internet, TV, mail services,
delivery companies, and retail sellers.
So why does so much graphic pornography seem available everywhere?
Because the U.S. Department of Justice has largely stopped enforcing federal obscenity laws. Since the early 1990s, the DOJ has brought very few cases against
major distributors of obscene content, allowing hardcore pornography to spread unchecked online.
It’s important to know that “pornography” itself is not a legal term.
Material is presumed protected by the First Amendment unless a court finds it obscene. When challenged, a judge or jury decides whether the material crosses that line.
How the Supreme Court Defines Obscenity
In Miller v. California (1973), the Supreme Court created a three-part test to determine whether material is legally obscene. A work is obscene if:
It appeals to sexual interest—based on what the average person in today’s community would think.
It depicts sexual acts in an obviously offensive way.
It has no serious value—meaning no legitimate artistic, literary, political, or scientific worth.
If all three conditions are met, the material is not protected by the First Amendment and can legally be restricted or prosecuted.
Bottom Line
Not all pornography is illegal, but a large portion of graphic, mainstream online pornography would meet the legal definition of obscenity if the government enforced the law.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed that obscenity, including hardcore pornography, is not protected free speech.
Pornography Research Relies on Correlation, Not Experiments
Many people wonder why researchers don’t simply “prove” pornography is harmful through controlled experiments. The reason is simple: ethics.
To demonstrate proven harm, researchers would need to assign one group of people—possibly even children—to consume pornography regularly, and compare them with a group who doesn’t. That kind of study is clearly unethical, just as it would be unethical to assign children to smoke cigarettes or use drugs for research purposes.
Because exposing people to potential harm violates basic research ethics, scholars studying issues like pornography, addiction, sexual exploitation, or drug use cannot use experimental methods that deliberately risk hurting participants.
Instead, most studies must rely on correlation, observing real-world patterns and outcomes among people who have already been exposed.
How Researchers Build Confidence Without Experiments
When controlled experiments are not an option, researchers look to multiple forms of evidence that point in the same direction.
These include:
When these various sources all show the same pattern, they create a strong and credible picture of cause and effect.
Accumulated Evidence Still Leads to Clear Conclusions
One correlation study alone can’t function as a “smoking gun.” But dozens of studies, combined with real-world documentation and testimony, can build a level of proof that experts accept as reliable.
This is exactly how the research community concluded that violent media harms children—even though no ethical experimental studies assigned kids to watch violent content daily. (See here, here, here, and here)
Likewise, the growing body of research, professional experience, and field reports surrounding pornography leads to a consistent result:
The evidence overwhelmingly shows that pornography harms individuals, relationships, and communities.
Alabama declared Alabama as a public health crisis. Read resolution here.
Filmed at Eagle Council / Educational Policy Conference 2020 in St. Louis, MO
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