What is ethical porn?

Porn – there are many types, genres, target audiences, and places you can access it. Something you might have come across is ‘ethical porn’, but you might not know what it is, what the difference between ethical and regular porn is, or even what makes porn ‘ethical’. So, let’s talk ethical porn!

To do that, first let’s break it down… We spoke to Gemma, Áine and Leah at SASH, who provide free, non-judgemental, and confidential support to improve your sexual health, your relationships, and your mental health. Here’s their helpful guide to ethical porn and ethical porn sites.

What is porn?

Porn, or pornography, is explicit media which is considered to be sexually arousing. This media can come in many forms, including photos, audio, written text (also known as erotica or ‘smut’), and most commonly, video format. The content can include displays of the naked body, sexual acts either alone or with other people, and might include role-play.

The origin of video pornography as it exists today is unknown and is assumed to be around the time the internet first came to be, whereas porn itself has existed for centuries, just changing format as humans have evolved.

To legally consume pornography in the UK, you have to be at least 18 years old. Usually, you will have to verify your age on some sites to gain access to explicit content, although it isn’t common for law authorities to prosecute underage people accessing pornography.

Mainstream pornography, which is what is consumed the most across the world today, often shows exaggerated forms of sexual activity, which is unrealistic and unachievable to the majority of the audience watching. This can range from the type of sexual act being shown, to reinforcing unrealistic body standards and performances/reactions.

What is ethical porn?

The definition of ethical porn includes many things, but ultimately comes down to one core goal of placing the safety and rights of sex workers and those working in the adult/sex industry first.

Ethical pornography will also subvert common tropes of mainstream porn, and show consent, pleasure, boundaries and queer relationships, alongside realistic body standards with varied body types and abilities.

How do I find ethical porn sites?

Some great examples of ethical porn sites include:

• Dipsea (subscription-based audio porn app with a reputation for the voice actors being paid very fairly)
• Lust Cinema
• Make Love Not Porn (amateur couples submit their own videos)
• Bellesa (porn made by women)
• Crash Pad Series (queer, non-binary and female-focused studio)

With ethical porn, everyone involved is consenting to being there, is being paid for their work like an actor would be in a movie and is legally allowed to be there and participate in making the media.

Why isn’t all porn ‘ethical’ then?

Unfortunately, ethical porn costs money, which means it is usually behind a pay wall, such as a one-off payment or subscription service, and therefore not as easily accessible as unregulated ‘free’ porn.

Since nearly every person has a phone now, the demand for and accessibility of pornography has increased. This also increases instances of revenge porn and the exploitation of sex workers, where safety and rights are often overlooked.

Porn itself is still widely seen as a taboo subject. However, the concept of porn itself isn’t scary – when produced in an ethical way it can be an important and safe way for people to explore fantasies and desires in a safe a controlled manner.

What is scary is how normalised sexual abuse and violence has become within mainstream porn, particularly against women.

Regulation of porn

In mainstream porn, there is a genre known as amateur porn, which has the look and feel of a genuine couple making a sex video together for the first time. The issue with this, is that it is hard to protect the people in the video when it comes to their age, whether they consent to being in the video, whether the video itself is a form of revenge porn (where someone uploads sexual media of someone else as a way of hurting them), alongside numerous other issues.

Currently, there is no regulatory body to check if the porn industry is safe for the workers involved. Some argue that such a system could protect sex workers and those working in the adult industry, and ensure no one is participating unwillingly.

Find out more about revenge porn laws in the UK.

Need support with porn?

If you are finding that porn is becoming addictive and negatively impacting your mental wellbeing, there is support available to you.

SASH, provides free confidential counselling and coaching sessions to improve emotional well-being and understanding of consent and relationship boundaries. SASH also provide free peer mentoring, training, and workshops, and can support and advise you with your sexual health.

To make a referral, please visit www.sashlondon.org. If you aren’t living in the supported areas, not to worry! You can get helpful sexual health and relationship tips, pointers and advice via SASH’s social media. We’re on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and even Tik Tok @wearesashlondon

Head to Brook’s website to find out about all their local services and to find resources on sex, sexuality and sexual health.

The Mix has lots of helpful resources on sex and relationships here. You can also speak to their team for information and support.