1
Pornography and Sexual Predators
Student’s Name
University
Course
Professor
Date
2
Explain the differences between obscenity and pornography. State the case both for
and against the belief that viewing pornography contributes to the commission of sex
crimes. Does this apply to child pornography as well?
The terms obscene and pornography incite adequate feelings and are usually used
interchangeably but have legal and social meanings. Obscenity can be described as a legal
concept that was expounded by the U.S Supreme Court in the famous Miller v. California (1973)
(Miller, 2024). According to this ruling, material is considered obscene if it meets three criteria:
it exposes the sexual organs in a manner that would be likely to deprave and corrupt those with a
prurient interest as accepted by contemporary community standards, depicts sexual conduct in a
patently offensive manner, and is devoid of any meaningful literary, artistic, political or scientific
value (Miller, 2024). While 'pornography' refers to a more general category, the concept covers
all forms of sexually arousing materials. Although all obscene items can be defined as
pornographic, not all pornographic items can be considered obscene in the sense of the law.
Arguments on whether viewing pornography leads to sex crimes is an issue of
controversy. Critics of the claim that pornography promotes sexual offences assert that exposure
to sexually explicit material leads to decreased sensitivity to violence and the endorsement of
unhealthy sexual conduct and perceptions (Harsey, 2021). They argue that pornography always
blows up women and men, especially by depicting them in degrading positions, which creates
room for the viewers to give or look for similar behaviours in real life and may extend to
criminalities (Harsey, 2021). Furthermore, some investigations proved the positive link between
the use of pornography materials and aggressive sexual behaviour as causal.
On the other hand, the argument against this particular assertion postulates that there is
no sufficient empirical data to support the assertion that people who watch porn are likely to
3
engage in sex crimes. They affirm that pornography aids in the expression of sexual fantasies
and, thus, lowers the risks of engaging in such fantasies in a negative manner (Dhage, 2020).
Various works of research done on the topic tend to have varying results, with some of them
stating that there is no clear correlation between viewing of pornography and sexual violence.
Furthermore, countries that consume legal pornography register lower rates of sexual crimes,
thus proving the point that legal consumption of pornography does not entail more criminal
activity.
When it comes to child pornography, however, the consensus is markedly different.
Sexual exploitation of children is prohibited globally, including child sexual abuse materials,
which signifies a comprehension of the adverse effects on children (Pitaksantayothin, 2023). The
production, dissemination and use of child pornography involve the use of children for immoral
gains, a grave violation of the rights of children and their welfare (Pitaksantayothin, 2023). Thus,
there is a direct correlation between the act of watching child pornography and engaging in sex
crimes because the latter entails the use of children. Furthermore, those persons who seek child
pornography are noted to have a high potential of perpetrating new contact offences on children.
In conclusion, controversy is still rife over the connection between adult pornography and
sex crime offences; however, there is a clear distinction between obscenity and pornography.
Whereas obscenity is a legal term for art, pornography is a more general term for sexually
explicit material. The issue of the effect of pornography on sexual violence has been a subject of
discussion for a long time, with evidence for both the pro and the con arguments. Nevertheless,
there is no controversy regarding child pornography as a legal and ethical issue, as it is
universally understood as a violation of children's rights, entailing abuse, which must be
prohibited and punished.
4
Internet sexual predators continue to elude law enforcement in great numbers.
What are the similarities and differences between online sexual predators and in-person
sexual abusers?
Internet sexual predators and in-person sexual abusers may have several similarities
because they both commit sexual abuse, but at the same time, they have some significant
differences because of the ways they engage in the process. Both types of predators are driven by
the purpose of controlling and abusing vulnerable people, including children and adolescents.
They employ subterfuge strategies like grooming, wherein they form a rapport with their targets
to gain consent for exploitation (Berens et al., 2023). Most online and in-person predators have
the same objectives, and these are typically personal satisfaction of sexual desires and authority
over the targeted victims.
An area that is common between online sexual predators and sexual abusers in person is
the use of coercion tactics. They spend time enticing the victim with gifts and attention,
complimenting, and forming friendship or love-like relationships to get the victim's guard down
(Berens et al., 2023). This process tends to numb the victim, making him or her more submissive
to the predator's desire or wish. In both scenarios, the predator takes advantage of the victim and
their purity to further their own objectives, leaving the victims mentally tortured and scarred for
a long time.
However, the environments in which online and in-person predators operate vary greatly.
Online sexual predators capitalize on the aspect of anonymity and the large coverage area offered
by the Internet. They are capable of creating fake profiles and being anyone they want to be;
sometimes, they pose as friends or adults who can be trusted (Nikolovska, 2020). This
anonymity enables them to reach out to a lot of target persons at one time without having to
5
show their physical self or location (Nikolovska, 2020). The Internet also equips predators with
tools and sites where they can easily locate their victims, including social networks, chat rooms,
and game-playing sites. This makes it difficult for law enforcement agencies to identify such
people and arrest them because they can close their accounts or even create a new identity and
use encrypted communication to hide their activities.
Conversely, physical sexual perverts normally exist within the direct sphere of the victim,
either within the family, school, district or social circle. These abusers have contact with their
victims and are, therefore, able to use force or forceful threats to retain power over the victim
(Nikolovska, 2020). This proximity makes the abuse more material and direct, and the abuser is
likely to use their status to conceal the abuse. Even though, in terms of control and manipulation,
in-person abusers are similar to online predators, the physical interaction of the abuser means
that the abuse can be more overt and may even be noticed by those who know the victim.
However, despite the differences, both 'cyber-predators' and 'real-life predators' can
equally inflict harm. The psychological coercion that forms the basis of both forms of predation
reaps severe mental and emotional effects on the victims and results in depression, anxiety, and
post-traumatic stress disorders (Nikolovska, 2020). Moreover, both types of predators are likely
to become more aggressive in the way they treat their victims, making the chances of the victims
being severely affected even higher.
In conclusion, online sexual predators and in-person sexual abusers are somewhat similar
concerning their manipulative strategies and objectives, but the modality of spaces they work in
significantly influences their approaches to exploitation. While it is easier for online predators to
escape detection due to the Internet's anonymity and ubiquitous presence, in-person abusers
benefit from the victim’s close environment. Cognition of these differences is essential for the
6
formation of measures aimed at the prevention of attempts of such individuals and the pursuit of
justice and punishment of criminals.
7
References
Berens, K. A., Bruer, K. C., Schick, K. D., Evans, A. D., & Price, H. L. (2023). A taxonomy of
groomer profiles: Comparisons of in-person, online, and mixed groomers through the
examination of Canadian judicial decisions.@Child Abuse & Neglect,@145, 106407.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0145213423003952
Dhage, P. (2020).@Dopamine Trap: Sexuality and Pornography in the 21st Century. Notion Press.
https://books.google.co.ke/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=6z0QEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT4&dq=They+assert+that+pornograph
y+serves+as+an+outlet+for+sexual+fantasies,
+reducing+the+likelihood+of+acting+out+these+impulses+in+harmful+ways+&ots=547
NUM7j16&sig=b1zsufhlj8_w1GgwCIPG194LPg0&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Harsey, S. J. (2021).@Following the script: Pornography’s associations with men’s sexual
aggression through objectification and porn sex scripting. University of California, Santa
Cruz.
https://escholarship.org/content/qt86p6d8mq/qt86p6d8mq.pdf
Nikolovska, M. (2020). The Internet as a creator of a criminal mind and child vulnerabilities in
the cyber grooming of children.@JYU dissertations.
https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/67584/-1/978-951-39-7963-8_vaitos07022020.pdf
Miller, A. D. (2024). THE PROBLEM OF OBSCENITY.@Washington University Jurisprudence
Review,@16(2).
https://journals.library.wustl.edu/jurisprudence/article/id/8891/download/pdf/
