The impact of indecent material (pornography) on the internet on human life is an extremely serious and alarming topic in today’s era. Due to technological advancements, this material has become easily accessible, but its adverse effects on mental, social, and personal levels are profound. Indecent material does not only affect a person’s sexual life but also has negative impacts on their personal and mental health. A detailed analysis of the various points in this topic is as follows.
10.1 Distorted Perspective: How Men’s View of Women Changes
The most damaging effect of indecent material is the change in men’s mindset. In such content, sexual acts are depicted in highly unrealistic and often violent ways. When a person repeatedly views this material, respect for women diminishes in their mind, and a perverted image begins to form. The person forgets the difference between real-life relationships and the artificial world shown on screen.[1]
This creates the belief in men’s minds that women exist solely for men’s consumption and that every woman is always ready for it. The tendency to ignore women’s emotions, their consent, and their independence increases, because such indecent material creates the illusion that a woman’s ‘no’ means ‘yes’. Men begin to consider the aggressive actions shown in indecent material as normal, which can lead to rudeness or perversion in their real-life behavior. This perspective is extremely harmful to healthy social well-being, as it weakens the foundation of relationships based on mutual respect.
10.2 Body Image Insecurity: Impact of Unrealistic Standards on Women
In indecent material, performers’ bodies are presented in specific ways, using makeup and technical editing. By repeatedly showcasing certain body parts, an unrealistic standard is imposed on women and especially girls, suggesting that their bodies should be like that. Viewing this leads ordinary girls and women to develop insecurity about their own body structure. They feel that their bodies are not as perfect as those of the characters on screen. Due to unrealistic standards of beauty and physique, girls and women start feeling insecure about themselves.[2]
This insecurity is not limited to mental distress; it can extend to changes in eating habits (eating disorders) or attraction to unnecessary cosmetic surgery. Girls and women constantly feel that they are not beautiful or attractive enough, which lowers their self-confidence. This material has changed society’s definition of beauty, which is completely artificial rather than natural. The result affects women’s self-image, causing them to constantly evaluate themselves through others’ eyes.
10.3 Performance Anxiety: Effect of Pornography on Sexual Health
Indecent material has a direct impact on sexual health and performance. Performance anxiety is increasing among many young men. The sexual relationships shown on screen are directed to last for hours. Often, certain moments are clipped and repeated to lengthen the video. When a person expects the same kind of performance from themselves in real life, they experience failure or pressure.[3]
This mental pressure can lead to issues like erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation. Due to the habit of indecent material, the brain becomes accustomed to intense stimulation, resulting in a lack of interest or pleasure in natural relations with a real partner. This material disrupts the natural flow of sexuality and pushes the person into a virtual world where they constantly fear failure.
10.4 Crisis of Objectification: Seeing Others as Objects of Consumption
Objectification means viewing a person not as a human but merely as an object or tool. In indecent material, there is no place for human emotions; only the body and consumption are emphasized. This destroys empathy in the viewer’s mind toward the other person. When we treat someone as an object of consumption, we stop considering their human rights and dignity.
This objectification is not limited to sexual contexts; it seeps into social interactions as well. It contributes to increased harassment, assault, and violence against women.[4] Considering a partner as one’s property or disregarding their wishes are fruits of this same mindset. A person’s identity begins to be determined not by their thoughts or achievements but solely by their physique, which contributes to the moral degradation of society.
10.5 Mental Health Decline: Link between Consumption and Depression
There is a close connection between addiction to indecent material and mental health.[5] What starts as curiosity gradually turns into addiction. When the brain receives massive doses of dopamine from this material, joy from simple things disappears. Once this addiction sets in, feelings of guilt, self-loathing, and loneliness increase in the person.
Many studies have shown that individuals who view excessive obscene material have higher rates of depression and severe anxiety. Withdrawing from social life, lack of concentration at work, and constant preoccupation with the same thoughts deteriorate mental health. This is a vicious cycle; to escape depression, the person turns to the material again, only to accumulate more depression.
[1] Damyanti Agarwal, “Indecent Representation Of Women In India”, 2023 IJNRD, Volume 8, Issue 1 January 2023, ISSN: 2456-4184
[2] Erum Hafeez, Fatima Zulfiqar, “How False Social Media Beauty Standards Lead to Body Dysmorphia”, Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 11(3), 2023
[3] David L. Rowland and Paraskevi-Sofia Kirana, “Atheoretical model for sexual performance anxiety (SPA) and a clinical approach for its remediation (SPA-R)”, Sexual Medicine Reviews, 2025, 13, 184–201
[4] Emma Rooney, “The Effects of Sexual Objectification on Women’s Mental Health”, Applied Psychology Opus, https://wp.nyu.edu/steinhardt-appsych_opus/the-effects-of-sexual-objectification-on-womens-mental-health/, last visited on 10.12.2025
[5] “Breaking the Cycle: Understanding the Link Between Mental Health and Addiction”, mindowl, available at: https://mindowl.org/breaking-the-cycle-understanding-the-link-between-mental-health-and-addiction/, last visited on 10.12.2025
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