Despite its widespread presence online, pornography is rarely openly discussed in schools. Last Wednesday, March 11, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) took a step toward changing that, hosting an assembly led by the international initiative Culture Reframed, set to educate students about the various effects of pornography and hypersexualized media.
The presentation was given by the founder of Culture Reframed, Dr. Gail Dines, and director of programming Dr. Mandy Sanchez, who discussed the influence of pornography on teenagers’ understanding of relationships and identity.
During the assembly, Dr. Dines asked the students, “How is it that you’ve reached this age and no one has talked about this with you before?” She added, “This is not about taking [access to pornography] away, this is about literacy.”
School adjustment counselors Matt Malowski and Amy Lilavois, along with school psychologist Jen Russell, decided to bring the initiative to the school after years of work and conversations in the SWEAR (Stand With Everyone Against Rape) program.
“Pornography culture is a topic we discuss every year at the SWEAR retreat, and every year the juniors ask us why this is the first time anyone is having an in-depth conversation with them about the topic. Our school has always been so supportive of our SWEAR program that we proposed bringing this conversation to our larger school and Island community,” Lilavois said.
Malowski explained that the idea eventually led them to contact Culture Reframed. “Several years ago I came across [the Culture Reframed website] after a conference I attended. Amy and I started pulling resources from it to work with kids at SWEAR. Throughout the years we’ve been using their material, and this year we reached out to them and asked if they would be interested in coming to the Vineyard,” Malowski said.
English teacher and SWEAR advisor Jessica Russell attested to the necessity of addressing the issue. “I attend the SWEAR retreat every spring, and we do talk about online pornography. At those retreats, I am always sort of blown away by how many of our students, in that safe space, admit to being exposed to porn at much younger ages than most people in my generation, because of the access to the internet,” Ms. Russell said.
Today, the average age of first exposure to pornography is 12.
Junior Neve Jackson said the assembly helped her think more critically about the internet. “I think we should have more assemblies like this one, so we can get a perspective on it and be prepared for when we go on social media,” she said.
Lilavois explained that because of the sensitive nature of the topic, families were given the choice of whether their students would attend the assembly. “We also anticipated some pushback and negativity, and that is why we sent an opt-out letter to families. If parents or guardians do not want their students to discuss these topics at school, that is their right, and we respect that,” she said.
Junior and SWEAR member Griffin Buehler reflected on the importance of the issue. “I think a lot of boys our age struggle with pornography, and they don’t really realize the effects it has on them, and how porn leads them to be violent toward women.” He added, “I feel it’s a very important topic that a lot of people may not be comfortable discussing, but that’s why it’s so important to discuss it.”
Malowski encourages students to reach out for support without fear of judgement. “I would like to say for any kid who is struggling with this issue on a personal level, they can always come to us for help. They are not going to be judged, they’re not going to be shamed, and they’re not going to get in trouble. So for anyone out there struggling with these issues, come see us, and we’ll help you,” he said.