Dr. Michael Robb is a developmental psychologist and Head of Research at Common Sense Media. In this episode, he joins us to unpack findings from two major Common Sense Media studies: Teens and Pornography, which explores how teens are exposed to and engage with online pornography, and Teens in the AI Era: Pornography and Sexual Content, which examines how AI-generated explicit content is creating new challenges for young people.

Common Sense Media’s research found that the average reported age of first exposure to pornography was 12, while 30% of teens reported seeing pornography during the school day. And as AI-generated sexual content becomes increasingly common, 44% of teens say they’ve encountered it, with about 1 in 4 of those teens seeing AI sexual content depicting themselves or someone they personally know.

Why do teens watch porn? What are teens learning from pornography about sex? And how is AI-generated porn changing what young people encounter online? Dr. Robb discusses differences in how boys and girls engage with pornography, why so much exposure happens accidentally, what teens themselves say they're learning from porn, and what parents and trusted adults should know about explicit deepfakes and AI-generated sexual content.

Episode Resources:

• Article: Nearly Half of Teens Exposed to AI-Generated Sexual Content
• Article: How Many Students Watch Porn at School?
• Common Sense Study 2023: Teens and Pornography
• Common Sense Study 2026: Teens in the AI Era
• Conversation Guide: Let's Talk About Porn

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Madyson is a former OnlyFans creator who spent three and a half years creating pornographic content before leaving the industry. After first being exposed to pornography at seven years old, Madyson says she began imagining a future in the porn industry by age 12 and started creating content shortly after turning 18.

What is it really like to be an OnlyFans creator? How much money do OnlyFans creators actually make? And is OnlyFans really empowering for its creators?

In this episode, Madyson shares how the promise of easy money and empowerment compared with her experience of increasing subscriber demands, shifting personal boundaries, body-image struggles, and objectification. She also discusses why leaving wasn't as simple as deciding to stop, how her content continues to affect her years later, and what she wishes young people considering OnlyFans understood before joining.

Episode Resources:

• Article: The “OnlyFans Era” and What Pop Culture Gets Wrong About Selling Sexual Content Online
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 153: Taylor
• Conversation Guide: Let's Talk About Porn

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What is it like to be the first generation to grow up with smartphones, social media, and internet pornography?

In this bonus episode, we unpack new survey findings about Gen Z's experiences with pornography, relationships, and consent. They discuss how online pornography became many young people's first exposure to sex, why social media has become a major source of exposure, and what today's young adults say they wish had been different.

Episode Resources:

• Article: How Are Gen Z Using Porn?
• FTND Parent Page

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Joseph Alto is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and the Head of Growth at Relay Health, a recovery app designed to help individuals overcome compulsive pornography use through accountability, community, and evidence-informed support.

How do you quit pornography? Why is it so difficult to stop, even when you genuinely want to? What actually helps people experience lasting recovery?

In this episode, Joe shares practical, compassionate guidance for anyone trying to quit pornography. Drawing from both his clinical experience and his own recovery journey, he explains why willpower alone often isn't enough, how to identify the emotions and patterns driving pornography use, what to do after setbacks, and how accountability, community, and healthier coping strategies can support long-term recovery.

This episode is sponsored by Relay, a secure peer-support app that connects you with a small group of people who understand what you’re going through and help you stay accountable on your journey to quit porn. CBC listeners can try Relay free for 7 days by signing up at http://ftnd.org/joinrelay.

Episode Resources:

• Article: How to Actually Quit Porn This Year
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 152: Chris Chandler
• Conversation Guide: Let's Talk About Porn

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Trigger Warning: This episode discusses AI-generated explicit imagery, nonconsensual intimate images, sexual exploitation, and image-based abuse.

Can someone create fake pornography using your Instagram photos? Are AI OnlyFans models replacing real creators? What happens if someone makes explicit deepfakes of you without your consent?

In this bonus episode of Consider Before Consuming, Elisabeth and Scott discuss a recent lawsuit alleging that dozens of men used AI to generate explicit images of unsuspecting women, sell that content online, and even teach others how to do the same. They explore how these schemes work, why everyday social media users are increasingly being targeted, and what this says about the growing demand for exploitative AI-generated content.

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Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexually explicit AI-generated images, sexual harassment, exploitation, suicidal thoughts, and image-based sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Angela Tipton spent more than 20 years teaching middle school before discovering that students had created and shared a sexually explicit AI-generated image depicting her. What began as one fake image quickly spread throughout her school, reached her own children, escalated into fake social media accounts meant to make the image seem real, and ultimately changed the course of her career. 

How convincing are AI-generated nude images? What happens when students create and share AI nudes of a teacher? Why do fake explicit images cause real harm? How should schools respond, and what role does pornography play in shaping the way some young people think about consent and other people?

In this episode, Angela shares the emotional toll of becoming the target of deepfake abuse, why the effects continue years later, and what she believes parents, educators, and communities need to understand as AI becomes more accessible. She also offers hope and encouragement for anyone who has experienced image-based sexual abuse or is supporting someone who has. 

Episode Resources:

• Victim Resources
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 132, Melinda Tankard Reist
• Sexual Harassment of Teachers Report

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Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of human trafficking and exploitation. Listener discretion is advised.

Preston Goff is the Vice President of Global Communications at The Exodus Road, a global nonprofit organization working to prevent human trafficking, support survivors, and bring traffickers to justice.

Preston has spent years working alongside investigators, survivor advocates, and law enforcement around the world. In this conversation, we discuss the connection between pornography consumption and demand for commercial sexual exploitation, how social media is changing the landscape of trafficking, and why prevention is just as important as intervention.

What is human trafficking, and does it always involve kidnapping? Is there a connection between pornography and sex trafficking? How are traffickers using social media to recruit victims? Can platforms like OnlyFans contribute to exploitation? Preston helps unpack these questions while exploring why retrafficking happens, how to talk with young people about exploitation without creating shame, and what each of us can do to become part of the solution.

This episode is sponsored by Relay, a secure peer-support app that connects you with a small group of people who understand what you’re going through and help you stay accountable on your journey to quit porn. CBC listeners can try Relay free for 7 days by signing up at http://ftnd.org/joinrelay.

Episode Resources:

• The Exodus Road
• Stop The Demand
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 137: Louie Greek
• Conversation Blueprint: Let's Talk About Porn

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Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, physical violence, coercion, and abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

A recent trafficking investigation involving an OnlyFans content operation has sparked headlines across the country. Authorities allege that teenage girls were recruited with promises of money and independence, only to face coercion, violence, and exploitation behind the scenes.

In this bonus episode, Elisabeth and Scott break down the details of the case, discuss why it challenges common assumptions about platforms like OnlyFans, and explore the broader connection between pornography, exploitation, and demand.

What is the Bellevue OnlyFans mansion case? Is OnlyFans linked to human trafficking? How do content creators get recruited into the adult industry? And can viewers know whether pornographic content was created consensually?

Through the lens of this case, they discuss why exploitation can be difficult to identify, how social media and online platforms can normalize the industry, and what it means to address not only the abuse itself, but the demand that makes it profitable.

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This episode contains discussions of sexual violence and child sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Clare McGlynn is a professor of law at Durham University and an expert on violence against women and girls.

Clare has spent years researching the ways pornography, technology, and online platforms shape culture, influence sexual norms, and contribute to harmful attitudes and behaviors. In this conversation, we discuss how algorithms influence what people see on porn platforms, why certain themes and behaviors have become increasingly common in mainstream pornography, and what that means for how people understand sex, consent, and relationships.

Why has choking become so common among young people? Does pornography influence attitudes toward consent? What is "sleep porn," and why is it allowed on mainstream platforms? How are AI chatbots and deepfakes creating entirely new forms of abuse? Clare helps unpack these questions while exploring the broader cultural impact of pornography and emerging technologies.

We also discuss the growing popularity of "barely legal" content, the normalization of rough sex, and why technologies like AI and virtual reality may be amplifying harms that already exist online.

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Brian Schillingburg is a former school principal and recovery coach who spent 25 years working with students before his own struggle with pornography escalated into behavior that ultimately led to his arrest.

Drawing from decades in schools, Brian shares what he's seen as pornography and sexualized content have become increasingly accessible to young people. He discusses the realities of early exposure, how pornography can shape expectations around relationships and sexuality, and why many parents underestimate what young people are navigating online today.

Brian also shares his personal story, including his first exposure to pornography as a child, how it became a coping mechanism for stress and pain, and how years of use eventually escalated into buying sex. He opens up about the arrest that changed his life, the impact it had on his family and career, and what accountability, recovery, and rebuilding have looked like since.

This episode is sponsored by Relay, a secure peer-support app that connects you with a small group of people who understand what you’re going through and help you stay accountable on your journey to quit porn. CBC listeners can try Relay free for 7 days by signing up at http://ftnd.org/joinrelay.

Episode Resources:

• Article: What 25 Years in Schools Taught Me About Early Porn Exposure
• Article: When Porn Use Shatters Trust: A Therapist Explains Betrayal Trauma
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 162: Chris Bennett
• The 9th Inning Project
• Demand Disruption

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Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is advised.

What happens when the person you trust most is secretly violating that trust for years?

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Zoe Watts shares her story of discovering that her husband had been drugging and sexually assaulting her while she slept. Zoe opens up about the confusion and disbelief she experienced, why it took time to fully understand what had happened, and the emotional and physical toll the trauma left behind.

Zoe also discusses how abuse within marriage is often minimized or misunderstood, the harmful cultural messages that blur the lines around consent, and the disturbing online communities built around sharing and consuming nonconsensual “sleep content.”

After her story became part of a major CNN investigation into online sexual exploitation, Zoe founded End Eye Check, an advocacy movement focused on raising awareness around drug-facilitated sexual abuse and supporting survivors.

In this episode, we discuss how sexual abuse can hide within long-term relationships, why some survivors struggle to recognize abuse right away, how online communities normalize exploitative content, and what healing can look like after trauma.

Episode Resources:

• Victim Resources
• End Eye Check: Join The Campaign
• CNN Article: Exposing a global ‘rape academy’
• Article: She Was Asleep While It Happened: Gisèle Pelicot and the Disturbing Rise of “Sleep Porn”
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 163: Amanda Stanhope

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In this bonus episode of Consider Before Consuming, Elisabeth and Scott bring you into a conversation they’ve found themselves having often behind the scenes.

As Fight the New Drug’s social media manager and presenter, Elisabeth is constantly immersed in current events, research, and the realities young people are facing online. Scott, who works more behind the scenes, intentionally keeps some distance, but hears about these stories secondhand. This episode is an opportunity to bridge that gap and bring listeners into that same conversation.

Using a real case involving AI-generated explicit images at a small U.S. school—where 347 images were created of 59 minors—they break down what happened, what it reveals about the world young people are navigating today, and what parents and communities need to understand right now.

Episode Resources:

• FTND Live Presentations
• Conversation Blueprint: Let's Talk About Porn
• Documentary: Brain, Heart, World

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In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we’re joined by Dr. Nicholas Lawless, a clinical psychologist and couples therapist, to explore how pornography can impact connection in relationships.

Does porn affect relationships? Can porn change how you see your partner? Is watching porn considered cheating? Why does porn sometimes feel like a betrayal?

Dr. Lawless shares what he’s seen in both research and real-life couples—how shifts in attention and expectations can lead to disconnection over time, and what it looks like to rebuild connection.

If you’re wondering whether porn is affecting your relationship, or how to reconnect if something feels off, this episode offers a clear, practical perspective.

This episode is sponsored by Relay, a secure peer-support app that connects you with a small group of people who understand what you’re going through and help you stay accountable on your journey to quit porn. CBC listeners can try Relay free for 7 days when they sign up at http://ftnd.org/joinrelay

Episode Resources:

• Articles: How Porn Can Impact Relationships
• Documentary: Brain, Heart, World
• Dr. Lawless' Practice: DRT Psychology

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In this bonus episode of Consider Before Consuming, Natale and Elisabeth take you behind the scenes of managing Fight the New Drug’s social media and the kinds of comments that come with it.

From someone sharing, “I started viewing porn at 11 and didn’t even distinguish between adult and child porn,” to debates like “nobody is forcing you… you’re choosing to be that person,” this episode highlights the wide range of reactions these conversations bring up.

Together, they unpack what these responses reveal about how porn is understood today, and why the way we respond matters. From early exposure and normalization to addiction and recovery, this conversation explores how empathy and education—not shame—can lead to more meaningful change.

• Core Articles: Get The Facts
• YouTube: CBC Playlist
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 160: Hunter Clark

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Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is advised.

Amanda Stanhope was recently featured in reporting by CNN on drug-facilitated sexual abuse, where she shared her personal story—part of a broader conversation gaining attention after survivors like Gisèle Pelicot helped bring this issue into the spotlight.

What began as an intense relationship quickly shifted. Amanda started experiencing memory loss, confusion, and physical symptoms she couldn’t explain, at one point believing she might be developing Alzheimer’s. Over time, she came to realize she had been being sexually assaulted while unconscious.

In this conversation, Amanda shares how the relationship unfolded, what made the abuse so difficult to recognize in real time, and the challenges she faced in seeking help and reporting what happened. She also speaks to how trauma can show up in the body, and why greater awareness of this kind of abuse is critical.

Episode Resources:

• Victim Resources
• CNN Article: Exposing a global ‘rape academy’
• Article: She Was Asleep While It Happened: Gisèle Pelicot and the Disturbing Rise of “Sleep Porn”

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Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual addiction, infidelity, and suicide attempts. Listener discretion is advised.

Chris Bennett is a life coach who helps individuals and couples work through sexual addiction, shame, and compulsive behaviors. But long before he was helping others, he was living a double life—hiding years of pornography use and engaging in multiple affairs during his marriage.

In this episode, Chris shares how his relationship with pornography began at a young age and escalated over time, eventually leading to real-life behaviors that deeply impacted his wife and family. Even after being caught and entering recovery, he struggled to fully commit to change, continuing patterns he knew were harmful.

We talk about the role shame played in keeping him stuck, why partial honesty wasn’t enough to create real change, and what finally shifted when he chose to fully disclose everything. Chris also opens up about how unresolved pain and early experiences influenced his behavior, and how learning to process emotions and meet his needs differently became a turning point in his recovery.

This episode explores questions many people are asking: Does porn addiction escalate over time? Does Porn Addiction Lead to Cheating? And what does it actually take to change?

This episode is sponsored by Relay, a secure peer-support app that connects you with a small group of people who understand what you’re going through and help you stay accountable on your journey to quit porn. CBC listeners can try Relay free for 7 days when they sign up at http://ftnd.org/joinrelay

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This episode includes discussion of sexual violence, coercion, and experiences of assault among young people. Listener discretion is advised.

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we sit down with Chanel Contos, founder of Teach Us Consent, to talk about how one Instagram post led to thousands of young people sharing their experiences, and ultimately helped drive mandated consent education across Australia. Chanel shares what it was like reading through testimony after testimony of peer-on-peer sexual violence, and how those stories revealed patterns around coercion, misunderstanding, and the way many young people are navigating sex without a clear understanding of consent.

We also explore what’s shaping young people’s expectations around sex and relationships today. How are teens actually learning about intimacy? What role does pornography play in shaping ideas about consent, boundaries, and what’s considered “normal”? And why are rates of youth-perpetrated sexual harm rising in some areas, even as other forms of abuse decline? Chanel breaks down how early, age-appropriate consent education can help address these gaps, and what it looks like to teach consent in a way that builds empathy, communication, and respect from a young age.

Episode Resources:

• Article: What is Inspiring Teens to Try Strangulation During Sex?
• Article: Oral Before Kissing: Porn Culture Has Changed Teens’ First Sexual Encounters
• Chanel's Instagram: @Chanelc
• Teach Us Consent:
• Fix Our Feeds
• Newsletter
• Instagram

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Hunter Clark was first exposed to pornography as a child. What started as curiosity eventually became a habit he struggled for years to overcome. Like many people, he tried everything he could think of to quit—willpower, accountability partners, blockers, even extreme personal challenges—but nothing seemed to work. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Hunter shares how shame kept him stuck in that cycle for years and how things began to change when he stopped focusing only on quitting porn and started looking at the deeper reasons behind the behavior.

In this conversation, we explore questions many people are already asking: Why is porn so hard to quit? Does shame make porn habits worse? Can pornography affect relationships? And why do so many partners blame themselves when they discover a loved one’s porn habit?

Hunter opens up about the moment he realized his struggle was connected to deeper emotional wounds, the impact pornography had on his relationship with his wife, and how honesty and open conversations helped break the isolation that shame can create. We also discuss the idea that porn habits are often a symptom of something deeper—whether that’s unresolved trauma, stress, loneliness, or other emotional struggles—and why simply trying to “have more discipline” often isn’t enough.

This episode is sponsored by Relay, a secure peer-support app that connects you with a small group of people who understand what you’re going through and help you stay accountable on your journey to quit porn. CBC listeners can try Relay free for 7 days when they sign up at http://ftnd.org/joinrelay

Episode Resources:

• Article: Why Fighting Porn Must Include Fighting Shame
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 152: Chris Chandler
• Hunter's Podcast: Quit Porn with Hunter Clark
• Hunter's Instagram: _hunter.clark

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Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse in an educational and prevention-focused context. Listener discretion is advised.

Dr. Alexandra Bailey is a forensic psychologist, Head of Psychology at the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, and a leading expert in the prevention of child sexual abuse.

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, she shares how harmful online behaviors can develop, and how pornography can play a role in that process for some individuals. As content has become more accessible, anonymous, and extreme, we explore how patterns of use can shift over time, including desensitization, novelty-seeking, and reinforcement.

We also talk about how the internet and emerging technologies like AI are changing the landscape, and how factors like shame, isolation, and mental health can keep people stuck in harmful cycles.

Most importantly, this conversation focuses on prevention—what it looks like, why it matters, and how resources like Stop It Now are helping people seek support before harm happens.

Along the way, we get into questions people are already asking: Does porn escalate? Why do I need more extreme porn? Is AI porn harmful? What should parents know about porn, sexting, and online safety?

Episode Resources:

• Article: Can Porn Use Escalate to Illegal Content? What Research and Real Stories Show
• Conversation Blueprint: Let's Talk About Porn
• The Lucy Faithfull Foundation: Stop It Now
• Research Paper: What's Porn Got To Do With It

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Matthew Raabsmith is a certified professional coach and relationship specialist, and Joanna Raabsmith is a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in trauma and betrayal recovery. Together, they co-lead The Raabsmith Team and help couples rebuild connection after addiction and relational pain.

After pornography addiction and secrecy deeply impacted their marriage, Matthew and Joanna began a recovery journey that transformed both their individual lives and their relationship. In this episode, they share what porn addiction actually did to their emotional intimacy, how betrayal trauma affected Joanna’s sense of safety and identity, and why stopping porn was only the beginning of healing.

They address questions many couples quietly wrestle with: What does pornography do to a marriage over time? Can a relationship survive porn addiction? What is betrayal trauma, and why does it feel so devastating?

Matthew and Joanna explain why honesty must come before trust, why rushing forgiveness can create more harm, and what sustainable recovery really looks like for both partners.

Whether you’re navigating betrayal, struggling with porn use, or hoping to build a healthier relationship in the future, this conversation offers clarity and grounded hope.

Episode Resources:

• Article: When Porn Use Shatters Trust: A Therapist Explains Betrayal Trauma
• Video: Our Experience on Porn Recovery and Betrayal Trauma
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 94: Dr. Jill Manning
• Matthew and Joanna's Website: The Raabsmith Team

This episode is sponsored by Relay, a secure peer-support app that connects you with a small group of people who understand what you’re going through and help you stay accountable on your journey to quit porn. CBC listeners can try Relay free for 7 days when they sign up at http://ftnd.org/joinrelay

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