Making Premium Content Free on Porn Sites Encourages Child Porn?

The internet is doling out several free offers to encourage self-isolation and making “staying at home” more interesting. All sorts of premium content is now at your fingertips, e-books, read along with session for kids, archival materials, and even premium content on porn websites. Adult entertainment website Pornhub declared its premium content is now free for everyone in the world. Free porn? That is correct.

The users can head to the site's 'stay home' page, where they can sign up to use Pornhub Premium for free, for the next month. I am not judging you if are watching porn to kill time. I am just assuming that what you are watching is adult consensual porn. But if you are not, then are you sure that what you are watching is not detrimental to someone’s mental health? If you think it is none of your business then think again because someone somewhere is making money based on what you are watching, and you are probably enjoying someone’s worst nightmares. You are enjoying seeing a helpless child get exploited, or worst raped.

There is an age of consent so in case of child porn, informed consent is not possible. Sexually exploiting a child is a criminal offence so why are these sites showing child porn acceptable? 

If you think it is none of your business then think again because someone somewhere is making money based on what you are watching, and you are probably enjoying someone’s worst nightmares.

Also Read: Rebranding Pedophiles As MAP Cannot Make The Act Less Deplorable

A few days ago, there was a tweet which was doing rounds, it said “I was abused & used in child porn from when I was a baby until I was 15. A few weeks ago, videos of me when I was a toddler, in diapers, being raped were uploaded to Pornhub. The videos were left up for hours, days. One got over 600 views. They were monetized with ads.”

In a series of tweets the Twitter user goes on to say, “The more views they got, the more ads were put around & in front of the videos. I flagged the videos as "underage" and filled out the "content removal request form", but nothing happened. I watched the view count tick up faster & faster.”

Business Insider India in an article titled, This is how porn sites make money states, “While a website may earn primary from subscriptions, it also cashes on man’s primitive lust for flesh. It makes money off traffic from other similar websites which it redirects. That explains why you only have porn ads on porn sites. These ‘similar services’ refer to adult dating sites, online adult stores, enhancement drug stores, adult gaming sites and so on. This forms an intricate and complex nexus of websites, all making money off each other, and cashing on your instincts, and that is what funds the ‘free mini clips’ you get to see. What to see the full video? Pay up.” So, it is not that simple after all?

Child porn is a money-making business. Unfortunately, the internet has made it easier to access. And once on the internet, it extends national borders making it a challenge in terms of investigations by local bodies. There is a need for pre-screening measures which prevent users from uploading child abuse images.

Child porn is a money-making business. Unfortunately, the internet has made it easier to access. And once on the internet, it extends national borders making it a challenge in terms of investigations by local bodies.

Children used in pornographic videos are also survivors of sexual abuse. And abuse at a young age can have long-lasting psychological, emotional and physical effects on a survivor. To see yourself get abused again and again is like living a nightmare. And to accept the fact that some people are enjoying your misery and some are making money through it is traumatic for the concerned person.

Also Read: Are We Ready To Lower The Age Of Sexual Consent To Sixteen?

Yes, we are figuring out how to get used to our current state of being grounded 24X7. Clearly, we are figuring out innovative ways to keep ourselves engaged as there are also various reports showing how the sale of condoms in India has spiked as couples stay at home and how online extramarital affairs are on a rise during coronavirus lockdown. But we are not in such dire straits that we cannot call out what is obviously morally and ethically wrong.  

The views expressed are the author's own.