Impact of the Internet on Sexual Behaviors in Young Adults

Introduction:

The internet is a powerful tool for the sexual behaviors of young adults. It has provided unprecedented access to sexual content, significantly impacting how young adults interact with this content. The increased availability of online pornography has led to a dramatic increase in consumption by young adults. Research suggests that over half of all 18-to-29-year-olds have viewed pornography in the past year. Additionally, increased access to devices with more powerful processing power and excellent connectivity through Wi-Fi or mobile networks have made it easier for people to use pornography online and offline.

How Is Sexual Content Being Consumed by Young Adults?

The internet has become a tool for young adults to explore their sexuality and find new ways to connect with others. In addition, the internet provides an opportunity for people to have more freedom than ever before. In addition, there is now a greater variety of sexual content available online than ever before. These include videos, images, graphics, cartoons, games, audio, live streams, apps, and written material. This means that young adults can choose what sexual content they want to consume depending on their interests or preferences. The internet makes it easy for people to consume sexual content. Young adults also use social media platforms to connect with people and engage in sexual activities through these social media platforms (sending sex texts and video messages and exchanging inappropriate images and pictures of genitals).

What Is the Impact of the Internet on Sexual Behaviors in Young Adults?

The impact of the internet on sexual behavior in young adults is vast, ranging from mild impacts that benefit young adults to the extent of devastating effects such as sex addiction and depression.

• Change of Sexual Attitude - Over time, consuming sexual content over the internet changes the whole person's attitude towards sexual activities. Studies show people consuming sexual content on the internet turn towards unhealthy sexual habits (like casual sex and having multiple sexual partners).

• Sex Addiction - Overconsumption of pornographic content can develop sexual disorders like sexual intimacy disorder or sex addiction. Sex addiction is when the person overindulges in sexual activities (hypersexuality). It may also lead to severe impairment and distress in children and young adults obsessed with consuming sexual content on the internet.

• Sexual Aggression - Since the COVID-19 lockdowns, screen time has sky-rocketed and social media has become a staple in the daily lives of many young people. Unfortunately, an increase in screen time and time online means an increase in the possibility and probability of a young person viewing sexually aggressive content. This exposure may cause viewers to display various sexual aggression against future partners. Pornography often portrays unrealistic images of both genders in a sexually explicit way. Generally, women are shown with submissive traits (weak and naive), while men are shown as aggressive and emotionless.

What Are the Effects on Mental Health?

• Coping Issues - Studies show young adultsare getting more trapped in the world of sexual media. As a result, young adults cannot focus on their careers and professional life. All these factors cause mental issues in young adults. Inability to cope with sexual thoughts, helplessness, disoriented thoughts, anxiety, and depression. This may provoke young adults to divert their minds towards unhealthy behaviors (consumption of alcohol and drugs); together, these activities further aggravate the conditions and worsen mental health problems.

• Internet Addiction Disorder - The excessive use of the internet to view adult content, particularly aggressive or explicit content, can lead to issues such as low self-esteem and sleep deprivation. In addition, the thrill of imitating the same content over the internet excites most people to continue the act, which naturally turns into an addiction. It may affect the minds of the young to the extent they become obsessed with any sexual stimuli.

• Violence Indulgence - Adult content with violence (pornographic content, action movies, explicit imagery) can distort the way young children see this world. Some studies suggest that access to violent content at an early age can lead to violent behavior in adulthood. This could include bullying, assaulting or fighting another child in school or college, or acting out against someone in a sexually and physically harmful way later in life.

• Paraphilic Disorders - Recurrent and repeated internet use for indulging in sexual activities could modify and change how a person perceives sexual events. Studies show young adults consuming inappropriate content on the internet are more likely to develop paraphilic disorders like fetishistic disorder, sexsomnia, sexual performance anxiety, frotteuristic disorder, and voyeuristic disorder. Paraphilic disorders are more likely to start developing early, during adolescence.

What Are the Effects on Physical Health?

• Hormonal Fluctuations - The internet has significantly impacted sexual health in young adults, particularly the physical and hormonal imbalances that can result from erratic sleep patterns. For example, rapid changes in hormone levels have been linked with early puberty and sexual dysfunction in some young adults. In addition, the body's circadian rhythm is disrupted by constant access to the internet, which can lead to hormonal imbalances. This is particularly concerning for young people who may not be old enough to fully understand the implications of their actions or who may not be able to make informed decisions about their own health.

• Early Sexual Intercourse - It has been observed that young people exposed to sexual or pornographic content at a very young age are highly likely to engage in sexual activities like indulging in sexual intercourse even before age 18. Porn depicts sexual activities in many different ways (casual, consequence-free, violent, etc.), and many are not socially normal or accepted and considered illegal. People who view this content may often practice what they observe and listen to. This can impact their physical health as well.

What Are the Effects on Partner Relationships?

• Difficulty in sexual Arousal - Excess internet use for sexual satisfaction may cause a loss of interest in indulging in sexual activities with the partner. It may affect some people to the extent that they may find it very difficult to achieve sexual arousal or orgasms with their partners. In addition, expectations and high-performance expectations from partners may also cause one to lose interest in the relationship. This may cause tense situations between partners and is a common reason for separation.

• Intimacy Disorders - Exposure to adult and pornographic content can cause trauma, leading to sex addiction and other intimacy problems. In addition, children who grow up watching sexual content over the internet may experience stress when that content from their partners does not meet their expectations. For example, some young adults are urged to try new sexual activities to keep them interested in the act.

Conclusion:

The internet has changed how we consume and experience media, and the internet has also affected the sexual behaviors of young adults these days. Many people spend their time and energy on the internet. It has been reported that the average internet user spends 30 minutes on their phone, laptop, or computer daily. This means that as well as being a source of entertainment, education, and information, the internet influences our behavior in many ways. It is very important to control the use of the internet for sexual purposes to avoid its consequences and prevent the devastating impacts it has on people's minds.