Like social media, esports and streaming services, pornography is easily accessible and driven by algorithms. Unlike social media, esports and streaming services, people usually watch pornography privately, rarely discuss it publicly.
While pornography is something many people access and use safely, in recent years much of widely consumed pornography shows non-consensual, degrading and violent acts.
Research shows that 45% of videos on PornHub - one of the most-visited websites in the world - include at least one act of aggression. Further analysis suggests one in eight videos curated for first-time visitors on pornography sites show sexual violence, with women targeted in 97% of violent scenes. Rape and strangulation are regularly depicted. Sexually violent videos are also more likely to feature people who are underage.
Smartphones mean children and young people are now seeing pornography earlier than past generations, using it to learn about sex often years before they're sexually active.
Violence is now commonplace in pornography. For young people, it has become part of their understanding of what sex looks like.
The depiction of strangulation in pornography
Women being strangled by men is prominent in pornography, where it’s usually shown as an act that isn’t consented to.
The trend has launched ‘choking’ into the mainstream, with many young women reporting being strangled the first time they have sex. they say it's a common and expected practice, and often happens without their consent.
In a 2024 study, over half of Australians aged 18 to 35 reported being strangled during sex. More than 60% of participants listed pornography as their first exposure to the practice. In mixed-gender couples, men mostly strangle women, and it's not always consensual.
Strangulation, even with consent, carries major risks associated with oxygen deprivation, including long-term brain injury and death. Experts state there is no safe way to strangle someone, with the risk of brain injury increasing with each instance.
The proliferation of deepfake pornography
Deepfake pornography is a form of image-based abuse and refers to fake pornographic images created using artificial intelligence.
Since 2019, explicit deepfake images online have surged up to 550% annually. The explosion in numbers can be traced back to open-source AI apps that 'nudify' images. The apps are free, easy to access and use.
Deepfakes are overwhelmingly gendered, with 99% of imagery depicting women and girls. Victims of deepfakes are denied consent at every stage, from creation through to distribution, with devastating impacts.
Creating or sharing deepfake pornography is illegal. In Australia, it is now a crime to make or share non-consensual AI-generated sexual images or videos.
Dangerous sexual scripts
Pornography blurs the line between what is 'real' and what is acting. It can portray unrealistic scenarios, such as women 'enjoying' painful and dangerous sex acts. It typically shows men as aggressive, controlling, and dominant. In doing so, it’s creating harmful sexual scripts for viewers to follow, particularly young people.
Many young men in Australia feel pressure to conform to rigid rules about how men should think, feel and act. These rules suggest men should be tough, aggressive, in control, and have many sexual partners to be considered a ‘real man.’
Men who personally agree with these harmful rules are more likely to use violence against women, including sexual violence against a partner. Critically, the more likely men are to watch violent pornography, the more likely they are to have attitudes that support violence against women.
Violent pornography that shows male-female sexual acts depicts men as dominant and aggressive, normalises sexual violence, and shows women as submissive recipients of that violence.
These scripts all reinforce the drivers of men’s use of violence against women in real life.
What this means for young people
Research shows that violent pornography is shaping young people's expectations of sex, body image and pleasure. Increasingly, young people are learning about sex from pornography, which can make real-life experiences less fulfilling.
This often begins with feeling overly critical of a partner, fixating on their looks, their movements, or their performance. From there the situation can escalate, and they may expect their partners to perform or endure sex acts they have not consented to nor expressed a desire for.
Violent pornography is driving a culture that normalises women being strangled or having to engage in degrading or unsafe acts done to them, and where men feel they must be dominant or violent to ‘perform.’
So how can we support young people to think critically about the violent depictions of sex that they are being served?
Refocusing on the joy of intimacy
Recognising pleasure is a vital part of consent culture. And while we may stumble over our words, having conversations about the pleasure and enjoyment that everyone is entitled to enjoy safely is important.
Lifting the veil on pornography and educating people about why it is made, what it is selling and how it can limit their capacity to have happy, healthy and consensual relationships is important.
It’s a conversation to be had not just by parents, but with everyone looking to raise a generation of young people with healthy and safe attitudes to sex and gender roles.
Resources to help start the conversation with young people
Sex-ed is about more than biology. Young people are more likely to make safe choices when adults have early protective conversations. If you’re a parent or caregiver, use these tips from the eSafety Commision to have age-appropriate conversations with young people about what they see online, including pornography.
Breathless is a campaign highlighting the dangers of sexual strangulation – often referred to as ‘choking.’ It showcases the stories of young people and experts to help people get the facts on the prevalence and risks of strangulation. It can support young people to think critically about how pornography is influencing their ideas of sex, consent and mutual pleasure.
Our Watch’s The Line is a resource for young people aged 14-20 on sex, dating and relationships. The Line has resources designed for young people to critically think about pornography, covering topics like 'Is porn making you bad in bed?' and ’How much of porn is real?’
Nobody is ever owed anything in the bedroom. Learning how to establish affirmative consent can lead to better sex for everyone.
Get support
If you’ve experienced sexual assault or need after-hours support, in Victoria call the Sexual Assault Crisis Line on 1800 806 292. During work hours, calls will be diverted to your local Sexual Assault Service. Outside Victoria call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
If you've experienced strangulation, call your GP for medical advice. You can also call 1800RESPECT for confidential counselling and support.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of deepfake pornography, you can report it to the police. You can also report it to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.