Can Pornography Damage The Teenage Brain?

Hon. John L. Harmer: Pornography damages teen brains


by: Jenniffer Wardell

Can pornography actually damage the teenage brain?

That’s one of the assertions lawyer and former California legislator and Lt. Governor under Governor Ronald Reagan, the Hon. John L. Harmer makes in his latest book, The Sex Industrial Complex. Exploring MRI research gathered by Dr. Judith Reisman, president of Arizona’s Institute for Media Education, the book claims that exposing a young person’s developing brain to pornography rewires neural connections to create a lasting addiction to pleasure-inducing brain chemicals Reisman refers to as “Erotoxins.” “Pornography creates a chemical addiction in the same way cigarettes and alcohol do,” said Harmer.

In his book, Harmer cites sources from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the British National Addiction Centre to describe how dopamine, a key drug released by the brain during arousal, has the same effect as cocaine or speed and can create the same addictions in the brain.

For children and teens, Harmer feels that the addiction could be even stronger and more damaging. The amygdala, the part of the brain that controls fear and other “gut” reactions, develops at a much younger age than the more cognitive frontal lobe, and cites information from the National Institute of Health that says the amygdala is used more often to process images even into the teenage years.Because of this, Harmer said, when teenagers look at porn the images are not only linked in the brain to feelings of lust, but to other “gut” responses that the teen might be feeling such as anxiety or shame.

As an addiction forms, lust becomes permanently linked with the more negative emotions.“Studies have shown that the human brain is the last body organ to mature,” he said. “The teenage brain is at risk because it’s a long way from being fully developed.”According to Harmer, this information may be the key to fighting back successfully against pornography makers and distributors. As an attorney in Los Angeles, Harmer assisted the district attorney in successful attempts to prosecute pornographers, and has followed the progress of similar cases all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.“

"Up until now all the litigation against porn has been criminal, but these studies are developing a basis for civil actions against the pornographers,” said Harmer. “Especially with online pornography, most people who become addicted did not willingly begin that process.“It’s like the tobacco litigation from a few years ago where the companies claimed that tobacco doesn’t cause cancer. If people have no knowledge of the risks involved, there’s no way they can assume the responsibility for those risks.”Harmer and the anti-pornography association he founded, The Lighted Candle Society in Salt Lake, are currently raising the necessary funds for a major MRI study that directly explores the negative effects of pornography on the human brain. The cost for such a project is estimated at $2-3 million.

Two years ago the society gathered a panel of neuroscientists from all across the country to develop the protocol for the test, but Harmer said that the technology has changed so much since then that they need to reconvene the panel and develop new protocols. Once this is completed, he expects the actual study to begin sometime in 2008.“We’re only using scientists from outside the state because we don’t want there to be an immediate bias against our results,” said Harmer. “It’s been a lot of work, but the truth needs to come out.”

Those looking for more information, to donate, or purchase the book, please go online to http://lightedcandlesociety.org