Exposure to sexual explicit materials in internet and cyberspace and its intra-psychic influences on adolescents in Tehran; A qualitative study

This paper aims to explore the perspectives of adolescents towards the intra-psychic influences of exposure to sexually explicit materials on adolescents. Fifty four in depth interviews were conducted with male and female students aged 15-18 years in the city of Tehran (25 females and 29 males) in May 2016 using purposive sampling method. This study showed that such exposure has important intra-psychic influences on adolescents such as cognitive, psychological and emotional. These influences comprise of: 1. Educational failure, 2. severe psychological vulnerability especially among females (depression and suicide), 3. Sexual excitement and stimulation, 4. Early puberty, and , 5. Increased psychological stress. The only positive influence of such exposure reported by respondents was enhancement of sexual knowledge. Policymakers of adolescent health need to consider social changes in the era of communication technology including access of children and young adolescents to internet and its potential psychological harms to develop appropriate interventions.