Mary Sharpe from The Reward Foundation talks to @LeeAlanHall about the damage online porn does to health and relationships. She also tells how the multi-billion dollar porn industry suppresses research on these issues from reaching the public. They do this by using the famous ‘playbook’ PR tactics to create doubt about how porn can cause harm to users. The playbook works to deny the scientific evidence of porn-related harms. It defames educators (like Gary Wilson) and activists. It spreads disinformation through distorted research and fake scandal.
In the talk Mary suggests that parents, teachers and others concerned about porn’s impact educate themselves about it. This way they can inoculate themselves to the disinformation spread by porn industry shills and the playbook. She recommends Gary Wilson’s book, Your Brain on Porn – Internet pornography and the emerging science of addiction. She also spoke about social psychologist Professor Jonathan Haidt’s new book, The Anxious Generation – How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. The latter book includes a section on pornography too.
For professionals of any sector, she recommended the charity’s training course, Sexual Dysfunctions and Pornography. This unique, affordable, 6-hour online course has been accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners [family doctors] in London. It covers matters like arousal dysfunction, risks for adolescents and intimate partner violence. It includes interviews with seven experts in the field, along with assessments, tips on how to approach the topic and treatment options. Well worth a look.
;