What is Pornhub? A Parent’s Guide

Hey parents! Do you know what Pornhub is? Chances are, your kids know enough about it to carry on a conversation around the lunch table at school. Are you prepared to fight back against this multi-million-dollar monstrosity?

We’ve recently had an epiphany—a lightbulb moment if you will. Since we fight porn every day, we took it for granted that everyone knows what Pornhub is, but apparently that’s not the case! (See story below.) 

We know you can’t stop an enemy if you don’t know it exists. So today we’re giving you the parent’s definitive guide to Pornhub.

Deciding to do something

A few weeks back, Marilyn was attending a regular women’s meeting when the topic of conversation turned to choices—and how you might respond when you see a threat creeping in on someone or something you love.

The first thing is to decide to do something, right? 

Just the day before a close friend had told Marilyn how she responded hearing yet another radio station—as a kind of crass joke, or a publicity stunt—promote Pornhub. The host had even suggested sharing Pornhub with your kids! (We wrote about the first incident here). 

Immediately the friend pulled over (she was driving at the time) and wrote detailed notes on her phone about what was said on the radio. Then as soon as she got home, she emailed the radio host and lodged a formal complaint with the broadcasting standards council. Yes!!! Citizens in Action!

Related: Episode 1.21, Campaign for a Porn-free Childhood

Porn’s business model

As Marilyn relayed all these details at the women’s meeting she thought the room would be a-buzz with support. But when she looked around, everyone looked kind of underwhelmed—until one brave soul blurted out, “What is Pornhub?” 

Bless her heart for asking! Marilyn had incorrectly assumed that everyone—even the blue-hairs in her group—would know about Pornhub. After all, as Forbes magazine is quick to point out: 

“With page stat numbers in the billions, it’s hard to imagine that there are people on this planet somehow not viewing or uploading content to Pornhub.” 

Many women in the room (younger and older), had the same befuddled look. They were waiting for Marilyn’s response. To be clear, they all knew that porn was accessible on the web. What they didn’t understand was how it was operating as an efficient above-ground industry.

Related: Radio Station Promotes Pornography: 3 Easy Ways to Take Action

Maybe you already know a bit about how the porn industry operates online. Or perhaps this is breaking news to you as well. No matter where you’re starting at, this episode has take-aways for anyone concerned with protecting kids from internet pornography, We’ve made it easy for you to listen. Just click the player below. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to Media Savvy Moms on your favorite podcasting platform!

So, what is Pornhub?

[4:20] Pornhub is the largest pornographic video-sharing platform in the world. Oh, and it’s free! Think YouTube, except exclusively for hardcore pornography. 

[6:15] Learn about MindGeek, the sneaky Montreal based company that is monopolizing the online porn industry. However, if you visit their corporate website, you’d have no idea what they actually do.

[7:55] Having trouble believing porn is such a big industry? Here are some statistics from Forbes magazine. Pornhub is very proud and very public about their numbers. Remember, this is just one website. In 2019, they boasted…

• 42 billion visits to Pornhub
• 115 million visitors a day
• 6.8 million videos were uploaded 
• 1.36 million hours of new content (=169 years) 
• 98,000 new models (as in, amateur porn stars … these are human beings) 

[10:10] Learn about Pornhub’s mission to normalize porn consumption through methods like academic scholarships, attempts to sponsor sports teams, and—of course—advertising. (Did you hear about the outrageous Pornhub billboard on Times Square?) In the end, it’s all about the money.

How is Pornhub targeting our kids?

[13:30] Have you witnessed the cuteness overload that is “Baby Yoda” from the hit series Mandalorian? Learn how the Pornhub logo became associated with this tiny tot in a viral meme that normalizes porn use by our children.  

[18:45] Gail Dines from Culture Reframed always says “follow the breadcrumb trail of an average 11-year old” to find out what is available to our children online. Remember, there is no age gate on Pornhub. Unfortunately, if our kids aren’t accessing this site, many of their friends at school still are. That is why we need to have open conversations with our kids!

[19:35] How many clicks do you think it takes for a teen to get from SnapChat to Pornhub? Protect Young Eyes tried this experiment with a test phone and posted the results. Listen to find out what they learned.

TIP: Want to protect your kids while they’re using their devices? Click here to get a FREE 30-day trial of the Bark App, or download Bark at the app store and apply the code MEDIASAVVY at checkout.

[21:00] When we looked at the statistics, most people (83%) were accessing Pornhub on mobile devices. But do you know what device is overlooked as an access portal when it comes to KIDS and porn in the home? It’s actually gaming consoles. 

“It should be noted that users were accessing Pornhub and watching porn on their game consoles as well. Sony Playstation led the pack with 51.5% of game console traffic … Xbox traffic accounted for 34.7%.” (Forbes)

Related content: Episode 1.22, Tech for the Holidays

How can we fight back?

[23:15] Tune in for some practical tips that you can apply in your own home! 

[26:25] Okay, we’ll give you one spoiler. Many of the solutions to this problem go back to basics, like creating a safe place to talk about ANYTHING with our kids. (Remember our Construction Site episode? #1.4)

Related Content: Teens Reveal 8 Ways to Build Up the Courage to Resist Porn

Start a conversation

By now you know exactly what Pornhub is and how it is targeting kids. But what about your friends? Do they know? This week, we’re challenging to ask another parent if they know. Or if you’re feeling extra ambitious, bring it up at parent group, as Marilyn did!

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the show, please leave a positive review or tell a friend!

Do you have a question? If you have a topic you’d like featured on the show, let us know in the comments or email us at mediasavvymoms@gmail.com. If you’d rather submit your question privately, you can use our Anonymous Feedback/Q&A Form here.

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Links/Resources

Posts and articles about Pornhub from Fight the New Drug

MindGeek: How a Canadian-Founded Company You’ve Never Heard of Took Control of the Porn Industry (National Post)

Dangerous Porn Trends Every Parent Needs to Know (Educate and Empower Kids)

Warning: Pornhub is on Snapchat, and parents have no idea (Protect Young Eyes)

Pornhub 2019 Year in Review (Forbes) 

Making Sense of Modern Pornography (The New Yorker)