Puberty and the Internet

[Char1999]

So we all use this forum to ask questions, answer them and read about others experiences. Some of us watch porn, others sext, some of us read of experiences here and they affect our lives as we take on advice or don't. Some of us do none of the above.

We are the first real generation to have our years of puberty with access to such an all consuming resource such as the internet. Have we been affected by such a mass of information and such an ability to act anonymously? Do you feel that with access to so many anonymous people and ways to experiment during and after puberty that the internet age has seriously affected the way puberty takes place on a number of emotional and psychological levels??

Quite a serious and deep thing I know but it's some thoughts I have had and wondered what others think. So to get some thoughts and an idea of your experiences with puberty and the internet, a small survey. Boys and girl's both please answer and no breaking the rules with storytelling experiences!!

1. Has porn been a feature during puberty for you? If so how frequently and from what age and what stage of puberty?

Question removed. ~Elysium

3. Has seeking a piece of advice or an answer to a question on a forum or blog been a feature of puberty for you? If so did the advice have a positive affect?

4. Has something you have seen or read online influenced your decisions during puberty? For example have you shaved your pubic hair at any point because you have seen it done in some pornographic material or have you read online in forums that others do it so you have followed suit. Or are your decisions more affected by those surrounding you in real life, again for example that all you friends shave their pubes so you do to or vice versa.

5. What are the experiences of others your close to, friends or family, regarding puberty and sexual learning experiences online? Did they perhaps recommend forums, websites etc online to help or guide you?

6. Has online activity specifically related to puberty and sexual experiences led you into trouble or danger online?

7. Do you feel the majority of your learning/ experience about puberty, sex and other related things is more informed now by your online activities or still by what I will call the old fashioned way, experimenting or talking with friends, learning in lessons at school, discussing matters with your parents etc?

Anyway a long post I know but I would be interested in others views or thoughts! ��

[NZPerson]

1.yes it has,, i wasnt really overly aware of what my body was doing until porn and masterbation etc so it kinda sparked it for me. Im pretty sure the first time was when i was thirteen and since then ive had it about half the time i jerm.

2. Yes, mostly with in the last year and not very often but it has in the form of pic trading.

3. No i think in my country we have very good health education so i didnt need internet in that sense but i did learn what circumcisions were.

4. Yes i shave my pubes and learnt about it from porn but i prefer its look anyway so would have done it regardless.

5. Very minimal from friends because of the good sex ed here but theres some banter about it puberty here.

6. Not that im aware of, im always aware of privacy online.

7. Yes i feel because theres porn etc theres less actual experimentation in the teen years but also older people have more acess to sex with tinder and grindr etc.

[ska8er]

I'm not going to answer each one but just make
a statement. I'm very lucky that I have a forum
like this. I had a lot of questions when I first came
here almost 3 years ago and it has helped me very
much. I came to know a lot of people my own age
going through the same problems and insecurities
that I had and still do somewhat. I make up my own
mind when viewing porn of what I c and what I will do
and not do-just because someone does it I seldom don't.
I'm always aware of privacy. I think that what is taught in
school Sex Ed is either way over the top in regards to pregnancy
tests and contraception to plain right goofy in silly videos on mast-
urbation and genitals. In some ways the teachers r just as nervous
as some students and tend to sugar coat discussions just to get them
over with. I cant say how other kids parents advise them on sex by
seeking forums or by going online. My parents r doctors and for the
most part they have told me not a lot but just enough that ive been
satisfied with. Yes-I learned really more about sex online. I also say
that I believe of what I c and hear that there is an increase in sexual
activity between teens based on the many porn sites online. I would
also say the increase in sexual molestation by adults of teens is also
based on the same. These r my own opinions and others may say I am
wrong but it is as it is. Again this forum and others like this r helpful to
any teen having any kind of problems of health-mental or physical types.
Some questions may be lame but no question should go unanswered.

[Silicate Wielder]

1. Has porn been a feature during puberty for you? If so how frequently and from what age and what stage of puberty?

Yes, I started watching porn at around 13

3. Has seeking a piece of advice or an answer to a question on a forum or blog been a feature of puberty for you? If so did the advice have a positive affect?

Yes, and the advice has been helpful to me.

4. Has something you have seen or read online influenced your decisions during puberty? For example have you shaved your pubic hair at any point because you have seen it done in some pornographic material or have you read online in forums that others do it so you have followed suit. Or are your decisions more affected by those surrounding you in real life, again for example that all you friends shave their pubes so you do to or vice versa.

Yes, and no. I heard about it, and tried trimming and shaving, to form my own opinion on what I like best.

5. What are the experiences of others your close to, friends or family, regarding puberty and sexual learning experiences online? Did they perhaps recommend forums, websites etc online to help or guide you?

No, my parents divorced shortly after I turned 13. I've had to learn everything on my own.

6. Has online activity specifically related to puberty and sexual experiences led you into trouble or danger online?

No

7. Do you feel the majority of your learning/ experience about puberty, sex and other related things is more informed now by your online activities or still by what I will call the old fashioned way, experimenting or talking with friends, learning in lessons at school, discussing matters with your parents etc?

I think that learning through the internet is fine, but it is best to make decisions based on what you learn through real life experiences, and not to make your decisions solely on what you hear through the internet..

[LITTLEANGEL19]

1. Has porn been a feature during puberty for you? If so how frequently and from what age and what stage of puberty? NO

Question removed. ~Elysium

3. Has seeking a piece of advice or an answer to a question on a forum or blog been a feature of puberty for you? If so did the advice have a positive affect? YES ON VIRTUAL TEEN, SO KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

4. Has something you have seen or read online influenced your decisions during puberty? For example have you shaved your pubic hair at any point because you have seen it done in some pornographic material or have you read online in forums that others do it so you have followed suit. Or are your decisions more affected by those surrounding you in real life, again for example that all you friends shave their pubes so you do to or vice versa.? I ALWAYS DO MY OWN THING.

5. What are the experiences of others your close to, friends or family, regarding puberty and sexual learning experiences online? Did they perhaps recommend forums, websites etc online to help or guide you? I KNOW SOME HAS TAKEN HINTS AND TIPS FROM THIS SITE, AND I WAS ALSO TOLD ABOUT VIRTUAL TEEN.

6. Has online activity specifically related to puberty and sexual experiences led you into trouble or danger online? NO

7. Do you feel the majority of your learning/ experience about puberty, sex and other related things is more informed now by your online activities or still by what I will call the old fashioned way, experimenting or talking with friends, learning in lessons at school, discussing matters with your parents etc? BY ALL OPTIONS IN Q7.

Anyway a long post I know but I would be interested in others views or thoughts! ��
Quite interesting :)

[Canadian Dream]

1. Has porn been a feature during puberty for you? If so how frequently and from what age and what stage of puberty? I would say to some degree it is, however I acquired a lot of the information I know about puberty and sexuality by reading these forums, and only after a couple of years did I start watching porn. I started watching it when I was 14, and I would say it didn't have much overall effect on a psychological level, especially since I knew a lot from these forums.

3. Has seeking a piece of advice or an answer to a question on a forum or blog been a feature of puberty for you? If so did the advice have a positive affect? Yes, most definitely forums have provided the answer to many questions I had. It was not so much posting and asking for advice, but reading other posts really made a difference. Although some information may have been false, I believe reading forums has been beneficial in the way that teens relate better through age, so often the information that is being given is suprisingly accurate. We don't necesserily want to hear about all the science, we just want to know and forums make it so much easier to get someone else's advice that is living through the same thing as you are.

4. Has something you have seen or read online influenced your decisions during puberty? For example have you shaved your pubic hair at any point because you have seen it done in some pornographic material or have you read online in forums that others do it so you have followed suit. Or are your decisions more affected by those surrounding you in real life, again for example that all you friends shave their pubes so you do to or vice versa. A bit of both honestly, because I've done intimate things with friends and that sort of gave me a perspective on how things are in real life. I could see what others in my real life were doing and that certainly did affect my decisions. To a lesser degree the internet has also done this, however I found it more of a source of knowledge than actually applying changes to your life. Because people on the internet aren't physically connecting with us we don't get the same sense of obligation as when we're interacting with real people.

5. What are the experiences of others your close to, friends or family, regarding puberty and sexual learning experiences online? Did they perhaps recommend forums, websites etc online to help or guide you? I don't talk to my friends or anyone really about online learning, because I don't see them being interested in it. What I learn on the forums I mostly keep to myself and if a situation presents itself where someone asks me how I know something then yes I would tell them. However I mostly go on forums to acquire personal knowledge that may or may not be put into application in real life.

6. Has online activity specifically related to puberty and sexual experiences led you into trouble or danger online? Never. As long as you keep a reasonable level of anonymity the chances of you being in trouble or danger are really slim.

7. Do you feel the majority of your learning/ experience about puberty, sex and other related things is more informed now by your online activities or still by what I will call the old fashioned way, experimenting or talking with friends, learning in lessons at school, discussing matters with your parents etc? I feel a lot of my knowledge has been acquired through the internet, however experimenting did have an effect on my knowledge. The sort of teaching that is done at school isn't as extensive to the point the internet is, and I think that's one of the reasons i go on forums. It's a great way to deepen your knowledge on certain subjects.