[ExI] Internet age verification spreads worldwide

[Adrian Tymes]

On Mon, Sep 1, 2025 at 5:35 AM Ben Zaiboc via extropy-chat
<extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
> And nowhere have I seen any serious attempts to find out if pornography
> (which seems to be the main target) is actually harmful to, well,
> anybody really.

Not disagreeing with the rest of what you said, but this -
specifically, the target of exposing minors to pornography - has been
studied, and while not all of the claims (by any stretch) were found
true, a nonzero amount did hold up.  I asked an AI to summarize:

---

The commonly cited harms of exposing minors to pornography fall into
several categories, though the research quality varies significantly
across different types of effects:

Commonly Cited Harms

Sexual Development and Behavior:

Unrealistic expectations about sex, bodies, and sexual performance
Earlier initiation of sexual activity
Increased likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behaviors
Normalization of aggressive or violent sexual acts
Confusion about consent and healthy sexual relationships

Psychological and Emotional Effects:

Increased rates of depression and anxiety
Body image issues and self-esteem problems
Potential for developing compulsive sexual behaviors
Difficulty forming healthy intimate relationships

Social and Relational Impact:

Objectification of others, particularly women
Changed attitudes toward gender roles and relationships
Potential impact on academic performance and social functioning

Research Quality and Limitations

The evidence base has significant methodological challenges:

Stronger Evidence Areas:

Correlational studies consistently show associations between
pornography exposure and earlier sexual initiation, more sexual
partners, and riskier sexual behaviors
Research on attitudes shows fairly robust links to more accepting
views of sexual aggression and objectification

Weaker Evidence Areas:

Causation vs. correlation: Most studies are cross-sectional, making it
difficult to determine whether pornography exposure causes problems or
whether teens with existing issues are more likely to seek out
pornography
Long-term outcomes: Limited longitudinal research following
individuals over time
Dosage effects: Little research on whether different amounts or types
of exposure have different impacts

Research Challenges:

Ethical constraints limit experimental research with minors
Self-reporting biases in surveys about sensitive topics
Rapidly changing technology outpaces research
Difficulty controlling for other variables (family environment, peer
influences, etc.)

The scientific consensus generally supports concern about pornography
exposure in minors, but researchers emphasize that more rigorous
longitudinal studies are needed to better understand causal
relationships and identify which young people may be most vulnerable
to negative effects.