which is run by FPA, The Family Planning Association,

who are a sexual health charity here in the UK.

And, also, if you didn't know,

I'm an ambassador for Brook,

who are another sexual health charity in the UK

and they help support FPA on a lot of their projects,

including Sexual Health Week.

And the theme this year is porn.

So, I've actually made some videos about porn before,

but I thought I would do something

a bit different for this one

and talk about some of the benefits

and the positive things about porn.

Media coverage of pornography

tends to have headlines all about

the negative side of pornography

and how it's ruining everybody's lives and relationships.

Obviously, it's important to talk about

some of the problems of porn,

but, often, these are the only conversations

we're having about porn.

There's no education and there's no balance.

It's pretty much all negative

in terms of the mainstream coverage of porn.

So, just before I get into my list

of some of the benefits of porn,

I just wanted to talk about some of the ways

in which we can combat some of the problems with porn.

And these are things that are advocated by

lots of sexual health charities,

including Brook and FPA.

First of all, obviously,

comprehensive sex and relationships education in schools.

This way we can allow young people

to have a healthy idea of what

sex and relationships should look like.

And so, they can then think critically

when it comes to the porn that they watch.

And this kind of education needs to

not shame people for watching porn

and, instead, create open lines of dialogue.

So, if anybody is worried about the effects of porn,

then they know how to seek help.

And there are people that they can talk to.

In the last couple of years,

the UK government has banned

certain kinds of porn production in the UK

and porn consumption.

And they're trying to limit and restrict

what you can access online.

But there is no evidence that

these kinds of restrictions actually work.

This is the Internet we are talking about.

And, of course, issues like low self-esteem,

low body confidence, sexual coercion,

pressuring, and sexual violence

are all serious issues.

But putting restrictions on porn

isn't going to help solve these problems

if we don't also tackle the other things in society

that contribute to them.

And so, whilst I think that

there are some problems with porn,

I don't think that the solution

is putting bans and restrictions on it.

I think the solution is education.

And so, now, getting into my list of

the positive side of porn.

Just to switch up the narrative a little bit.

Also, I'll note that this list

is about the positives of porn consumption.

Talking about the porn industry and the production

is kind of an entirely separate conversation.

So, this is about watching, consuming, viewing porn.

So, number one, it is arousing.

I mean, we shouldn't hide from the fact that

a lot of people are turned on by porn.

And sexual excitement and pleasure feel great.

And we shouldn't shame people for that.

Number two, it's relaxing.

Different people like to do different things

in order to relax.

And, for some people, at the end of a stressful day,

it can be really nice to unwind by

watching some porn and masturbating.

Three, it can be really useful for LGBTQ plus folks.

Any education or representation of

non-hetero or non-cis bodies, desires, or relationships

is often absent or limited in schools and in the media.

So, often porn can help to educate,

but also normalise a lot of the things that

LGBTQ folks experience but don't find represented elsewhere.

Four, you can discover what you like.

There are so many different kinds of sexual acts out there

that different people are into.

So, perhaps porn can be a source of

inspiration and self-discovery.

Five, porn can benefit your relationships.

Watching porn with a partner could add

an extra element to your sex life,

but it can also work as an icebreaker

in order to be able to talk and communicate

about things like your sexual desires and your boundaries.

And, number six, having sex with yourself and watching porn

is a lot less hassle than having sex with somebody else.

Perhaps less likely to be disappointing.

When we talk about porn,

we often mainly talk about videos online.

But, obviously, there are loads of other

different kinds of material that can be classified as porn.

So, you have literature.

A lot of erotic fiction.

And, now that I think about it,

there must be erotic audio books.

So, you can listen.

Are there erotic podcasts?

Oh my god.

If you know of any, please let me know.

The classic still image.

And, also, I've seen, floating around on the Internet,

artsy black and white porn GIFs on Tumblr.

So, basically, when it comes to porn,

please educate yourself, keep an open mind,

and don't shame others.

I will leave a bunch of links in the description

from Brook, from FPA, and some other places.

All about porn and about Sexual Health Week.

Thanks so much for watching.

Please give the video a thumbs up if you enjoyed it.

And I would love to hear your thoughts

on pornography and education in the comments section below.

Also, if you have any recommendations for erotic literature.

That would be great.

And don't forget to subscribe,

'cause I make new videos every week.

Bye.