Most people recognize the harm and dangers of drugs, alcohol and nicotine addiction, but porn addiction is often overlooked and not recognized due to the taboo nature of the subject. Most people don’t want to think about it, let alone talk about it. Porn addiction often begins at a young age due to technology and the internet making it more available than ever before.

Gary Wilson, teacher of anatomy and physiology in Scotland and author of “Your Brain on Porn,” wrote, “The neurological impact of frequent exposure to porn content, can reshape the brain’s reward systems and sexual response similar to other addictions. Troubling patterns develop leading to sexual dysfunction, escalating desires for extreme content and decreased satisfaction with real partners.”

The brain undergoes drastic changes during porn addiction; the hormonal balance in the brain is altered. The human brain consists of neurons that are activated by various types of stimuli from senses. The chemical dopamine, which is released by the brain, is a function of the stimuli. Dopamine is responsible for the feelings of excitement, happiness and rewarding experiences.

Pornography causes an intense chemical imbalance in the brain similar to what happens when using the drugs cocaine, heroin or ecstasy. The more time one spends watching porn, the more the need to increase the dopamine rush takes over.

According to an article in the Psychreg Journal from February 2023, Porn addicts will seek far more deviant content in videos to find the initial high once again, until they find themselves watching videos that they would have earlier viewed as appalling. This contributes to a porn addicts’ low self-esteem, depression, self-isolation, sexual dysfunction and a lack of real relationships.

Growing public concern about the sexual exploitation of children across the U.S. led Congress to pass the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation Act of 1977. Because officials believed child pornography was funded and operated by highly-organized and wealthy groups, this legislation targeted the commercial production of visual and print depictions of obscenity involving minors.

In 1984, Congress established the U.S. Sentencing Commission with the mandate to establish sentencing policies and practices that consider the purposes of sentencing to avoid disparities. In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled the Sentencing Guidelines as “advisory,” giving more discretion to district courts. The goal is a sentence that is sufficient, but not greater than necessary.

The harsh sentencing for child pornography offenses reflects a moral panic and is fundamentally based on a presumption that anyone involved in child pornography, even a possessor or distributor (but not a producer) is an undetected child molester.

Those judges who enact lesser sentences may blame the defendant’s pornography obsession on depression or compulsive behavior caused by the ease and addictive quality of internet searching; or the defendant’s need to increase the level of deviance may be a result of their own childhood sexual abuse.

What is the answer — continued monitoring of social network sites, stiffer and longer sentences for offenders, all of the above, or a new approach? Recent studies among psychologists and mental health workers suggest a new approach, which could save lives and resources.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker Robert Banta has been working with the Utah Department of Corrections since 2003 to provide out-patient after-care treatment for convicted sex offenders who are required to attend private and group therapy for 4.5 hours per week. He also worked with the Utah Division of Child and Family Services for three years.

Banta works with attorneys on court cases involving sex offenders. He has recently testified in court cases in Evanston.

“Most pornography crimes are all about child pornography. Viewing or possessing adult pornography is not illegal,” Banta said. “I find the sentencing in Evanston to be much harsher than in Utah. In Utah, a fellow on a first offense of child pornography would probably get 6 months in jail and 3 years on probation. They would not be sent to prison. Treatment is needed, not incarceration.”

Banta’s private practice, “Arrowpoint Associates,” is in two locations: Midvale, Utah, and St. George, Utah. He has developed a program for sex offenders and holds groups on Tuesday or Wednesday nights and on Saturday mornings in Midvale.

“Therapy really makes a difference in sex offenders’ lives,” Banta said. “They really need to be involved in a long-term treatment program. There are SA (Sexaholics Anonymous) groups available, as well as private therapy.”

The future of child pornography sentencing in the federal system is uncertain as the three major institutions involved are moving in a variety of directions. Congress continues to expand child pornography laws and increased sentencing; the Sentencing Commission is restudying the issue with potential guidelines changes; and the federal judiciary remains fragmented in sentencing policies, according to the Stanford Law & Policy Review.