And with the advent of the internet and video streaming, children are able to access hardcore porn with few guardrails, leading to a generation of young men who are getting their sex education from unrealistic and exploitative sexual relationships portrayed on screen.

On the other side of the debate are those who see value in porn: research shows that men who watch porn value female pleasure more, couples who watch porn together have better sexual relationships, and LGBT folk report a greater sense of community acceptance. Porn, its defenders argue, is being used as a distraction when many of the problems related to the industry are already systemic in our everyday lives. And finally, attempting to ban porn would only drive it underground and increase the risk of exploitation. In their view, it’s time to put the decades long debate over porn to bed, once and for all.

“Porn is painful, it’s humiliating, it’s coercive, and it’s made only for the pleasure of the viewer, who really has no idea what’s happening on the other side of the screen.”

-MEGHAN MURPHY

“Most people report positive experiences with pornography. It is the people who are ashamed of pornography or ashamed of their sexuality who struggle with it.”

-DAVID J LEY