Exposure to Sexually Explicit Internet Material in Adolescence and Unwanted Sexual Behavior in Emerging Adulthood

Abstract: This longitudinal study examines long-term associations between the use of sexually explicit internet material (SEIM) during adolescence and engagement in unwanted sexual behaviors in emerging adulthood. Drawing on a four-wave panel study among 377 participants (aged 18–24, 44.3% male), using logistic regression analysis, we found that SEIM use during adolescence predicted a higher odds of having sexually touched a stranger and of having insisted on sex with someone who had refused by emerging adulthood, 5 years later. That said, the proportion of participants committing these unwanted sexual behaviors is relatively small. Respectively 10.3%, 8.5%, and 1.1% of emerging adults had sexually touched a stranger, insisted on sex with a partner who had refused, or had used force to try to have sex.