The abortion industry isn’t the only one exploiting the COVID-19 crisis for their own bottom line. Pornhub, the world’s largest pornography website, is also jumping into the fray by making its premium content free worldwide. Amidst the coronavirus crisis, media accounts estimate over 1 billion people are in lock-down and Pornhub has declared their content is an “enjoyable way to pass the time.”
The adult website has been working hard to bolster its public image by engaging in other grand gestures of “philanthropy” during this pandemic. But let’s not forget that there is a clear link between pornography and human trafficking, something that the state of Minnesota has officially recognized, and before the coronavirus outbreak Pornhub was embroiled in controversy because it has consistently and repeatedly failed to remove obscene and illegal content from its site—content that depicts children and sex-trafficking victims. Pornhub itself has not denied its top searches involve the word “teen,” but they’re not doing much because their business model relies on those searches to make them billions of dollars. But others are doing something. To-date almost one million people have signed a petition to shut down Pornhub because of its inextricable connection to the trafficking industry.
Pornhub is only too willing to profit from the abuse and exploitation of children. Unfortunately, these stories are countless and Pornhub isn’t the only one using global quarantines to profit off grossly illegal content.
Snapchat, (a popular social media platform primarily used by teens to exchange photos) has been clearly and explicitly encouraging teens to engage in “sexting” during the quarantine. Several major problems here, but probably the biggest one is teens exchanging explicit photos is child pornography and unquestionably illegal. Sexting also exposes our children to graphic and addictive content published by their own peers. This is sick. When companies unashamedly make vulgar appeals to promote and profit off of the victimization of women and children, we need people who will stand up and do something.
Pornography is a pernicious problem that leaves destruction and devastation in its wake, and the church is not immune to this epidemic. Both inside and outside of the church, this is a symptom of a deeper problem—in our hyper-sexualized culture, people turn to pornography hoping that it will meet their desire for connection and fulfillment. Writing at Breakpoint, Dustin Messer observes,
People are lonely, so they view pornography to feel a connection. They satiate a sexual desire because, we’re told, sex is the highest means of connection. Yet, what if that desire for connection we all feel so acutely during this time is beckoning us to something else entirely? …no amount of pornography will truly take away our loneliness.
By the grace of God, we are dead to sin, including the sin of pornography. And like any other sin, fighting against the temptation of pornography is better done in community with other believers. As Messer points out, “[S]aying “no” to pornography will be much easier once we’ve said “yes” to forming meaningful connections with fellow believers.”
In recent months, the Justice Department has been called on to enforce obscenity laws and prosecute companies such as Pornhub that are profiting from abusive and exploitative content. The need to address the evils of the pornography industry has only grown more urgent as they use the COVID-19 crisis to promote and spread their content. Now is the time for our Attorney General to take immediate action to hold these companies accountable for their appalling disregard of the law and their victims. America has laws on the books to hold these corporations accountable and they must be enforced!
If you haven’t done so already, take 30 seconds and add your name to the list of thousands of other names urging Attorney General Barr to make prosecuting obscenity—and the companies that distribute it—a priority!
Our children can’t wait.
A version of this piece was first published by Family Policy Alliance.
