Dear Editor,

The World Health Organization, the international body tasked with setting the global agenda with regards to health care, defines health in its constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease. It is with this definition in mind that one seeks to point out an emerging threat to public health.

The advancement of technology has given birth to many good things; however, as is the case with many things, there is an ugly flip side, and in this case the ugliness is manifested in the wholesale availability of pornographic material.

Notwithstanding the many local cases of “sex videos” or clippings which inundate social media, and which are circulated via smartphones, the preponderance of pornography comes as this multi-billion-dollar industry exploits the reach of the ever-increasing arm of technology. The fact of the matter is that exposure to porn, which is becoming increasingly married to violence, is serving as a poisonous substitute for proper sexual education, especially as it relates to adolescents. This poison is seeping, slowly, into the psyche of our collective sexuality, threatening mental and social well-being.

While “blue movies” may seem harmless to some, the research is increasingly pointing to the reverse, and the detrimental effects may not be readily apparent until it is too late. Steps should now be explored in an attempt to mitigate the effects of pornography and its promotion of sexual exploitation. The first step should be the introduction of proper sexual education into the school curriculum.

Noel Matherson

noelmatherson@gmail.com