Description
“Of all activities on the internet, porn has the most potential to become addictive” say Dutch neuroscientists [Predicting Compulsive Internet Use: It’s all about sex!].
In this lesson pupils will learn about the wide-ranging mental and physical health effects of internet porn. It is based on a popular TEDx talk The Great Porn Experiment by former science teacher Gary Wilson. This video has over 18 million views and is part of the lesson. Although the video dates from 2012, it is as relevant today as it was then, perhaps more so. We provide an update on some facts since the 2012 talk. There is a quick quiz to test pupils’ recall and a ‘pair and share’ exercise. A longer period of discussion is allowed for fuller examination of the very important health issues raised. We do not show pornography in this lesson.
Garry Wilson gave the original TEDx talk in Glasgow. It followed a 4-minute TED talk called The Demise of Guys by renowned social psychology professor Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University.
For more information on the brain, see Gary Wilson’s best-selling book. Your Brain on Porn: Internet Pornography and the Emerging Science of Addiction expands on the TEDx talk. It is now in 18 languages and proceeds go to The Reward Foundation charity. The website yourbrainonporn.com is the best source for the latest research on porn’s impact on the brain and behaviour.
Resources:
11-slide PowerPoint (.pptx) with 1 embedded video with sound (16 minutes), a page; 5-page Research Note and a 8-page Teacher’s Guide (.pdf) with hotlinks to relevant research and further resourc</p&gt;es.</p>
