22nd March 2018
Writing: Dan Le Grys (Year 10)
This month saw Year 10 students attend a talk on pornography, given by The RAP (Raising Awareness and Prevention) Project. The main theme of their talk was the idea that adult content online is unrealistic, and shouldn’t be taken seriously or used to inform real world expectations. The speakers discussed the positives and negatives of watching pornography, and what effects it can have on the human brain. As it turns out a chemical, dopamine, is released when watching type of material, which has profound effects on the brain, including addiction. The seriousness of this was very much stressed.
The porn industry was also presented as very male-dominated, with women often having little say over what they might be asked to do. The dangers of adult content and the truth behind it hit home with us quite forcefully.
As well as presenting engaging ideas, the speakers asked us interesting and challenging questions. It was a necessary and eye-opening experience, and we certainly learned from it.