As part of Metro’s annual sex issue, we explore today’s hottest sex trends both locally and nationally. For more of this year’s theme — kink — check out our 2012 sex poll and an interview with ’50 Shades’ author E.L. James.
While you’re reading “Fifty Shades of Grey,” your husband might be watching casting couch videos online. Should you be worried? Should he?
Because the Internet makes porn so prevalent, more people are being diagnosed with sexual disorders related to explicit materials, according to sex therapist Wendy Maltz. Maltz co-wrote a book with her husband called “The Porn Trap,” directly addressing the issues that arise when too much smut is in the home.
“It’s so easy to get porn,” Maltz explains. “All the old barriers have been brought down … and people are developing a sexual relationship with it.”
For some, having an intimate relationship with porn can lead to problems when it comes to sexual performance, including how they function in the bedroom or difficulties when it comes to ejaculating. It can also create confusion in relationships. People may come to expect behavior they see in sexually explicit films as regular activities, when in fact it’s far from the norm. There’s also the argument that it can encourage bad behavior, including degradation of women or the abuse of children.
That doesn’t mean that every person watching porn is destined to be a sexual deviant. Maltz acknowledges that most people will be able to view adult material without any repercussions. She points out that it can be an educational tool to help bring couples together, especially when it teaches how to give a sensual massage or how to try a new technique. Still, there’s always the danger that too much porn can be harmful.
“It has that potential for a certain percentage of the population to create some very serious problems,” she says.
