Peter Stock wrote self-explicable article entitled The Harmful Effects On Children Of Exposure To Pornography. He argues that being exposed to pornography causes children to act in a deviant sexual manner. The issue is becoming an increasing problem due to the rapid increase of pornography on television and the internet. Pornography is spreading into video games and over the phone as well. The latest fashions have been changing to more revealing styles. Though they are not completely revealing, today’s seductive clothing styles show a lot more skin than they used to. Children seeing this are more likely to accept it and want to see more leading them to pornography.
However, while Stock points out many good reasons why children are negatively affected by pornography, I disagree with some of his thoughts. He purposely points out that, “For the purposes of this paper children are defined, as per section 163.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada, as persons under the age of eighteen.” While this legal definition has its reasons, I do not believe that mature sixteen and seventeen-year-olds should be suppressed by the government. Children are growing up and maturing much faster these days. Also, Stock points out many studies that were performed which prove different aspects of how pornography negatively affects people. However, these studies were done as early as 1984 and as late as 1995. These studies are not very current and they also do not primarily focus on children. The legal age to buy pornography is eighteen. The fact that the younger public is exposed to pornography cannot be helped; no system is perfect.
