Self-Regulating or Supervised Boys?

Young Masculinity and Sexuality in Online Pornography Filter Debates

in Boyhood Studies
Author:
Lucas Gottzén Professor, Stockholm University, Sweden lucas.gottzen@buv.su.se

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3167/bhs.2023.160103
Keywords:
boys; masculinity; pornography; pornography filters; youth
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Abstract

This article analyzes debates about online pornography filters and youth in the Swedish press between 2016 and 2020, focusing on the depiction of boys and young men. Critics of filtering software argued that boys could self-regulate if they were provided better sex education and if parents communicated with them about pornography. In contrast, advocates posited that boys are incapable of developing healthy sexuality because online pornography is a powerful drug that leads to addiction and contributes to a rape culture. As boys were considered unable to get a filter “in their head,” proponents argued for disciplinary supervision through software in schools.

Contributor Notes

Lucas Gottzén is a Professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies at Stockholm University. He takes feminist and critical perspectives on youth, gender, and sexuality. He is the author of several academic books and the lead editor of the Routledge International Handbook of Masculinity Studies (2020) and Men, Masculinities, and Intimate Partner Violence (2021). Email: lucas.gottzen@buv.su.se

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Boyhood Studies

An Interdisciplinary Journal

Cover Boyhood Studies
Article Category:
Research Article
Page Count:
22
Keywords:
boys; masculinity; pornography; pornography filters; youth
Print Publication Date:
01 Jun 2023
Online Publication Date:
01 Jun 2023
Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023

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