Experts like Struthers argue that basic psychological science suggests frequent exposure to something like porn may indeed lead to normalization of harmful behaviors.
“The more you’re exposed to something, the more you tend to see it as acceptable, whether it’s violence, gambling or sexuality,” Struthers said.
His concern, however, is the psychological effect that frequent exposure may have on developing brains.
“I think the questions we really need to be asking are, ‘What are the secondary effects that porn has?'" he said, explaining that pornography may cause some people to see others as objects rather than people in non-sexual settings due to potentially reduced empathy.
Wright, the professor at Indiana University, who has conducted research on porn’s potential influence on youths’ behavior, speculated that most scientists in this area and at this level of debate would agree with some of the lawmakers’ claims yet disagree with others.
But, he said one thing most would agree on is more can be done.
“Is there enough suggestive evidence of harm in terms of compulsive use and socialization toward attitudes and behaviors that most people perceive as antisocial that scientists should support policy efforts calling for further research, community and school education programs, and programs aimed at the prevention of harmful effects?” Wright said in an email. “I think the majority of scientists familiar with the research in this area would say, ‘Yes.’”
https://www.foxnews.com/health/is-pornography-a-public-health-threat
