Emily F. Rothman has conducted multiple research studies with teenage participants to identify what they view, when, why and how it may affect them. She also co-designed and co-taught the first course on pornography at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and partnered with the Boston Public Health Commission to create a "pornography literacy curriculum" for teenagers. Rothman has led several federally-funded research projects sponsored by the NIH, the National Institute of Justice and various foundations in an effort to help identify causes and consequences of adolescent dating aggression, sexual assault and human trafficking. She also founded and served as Chair of the Violence and Trauma special interest group at the Society for Behavioral Medicine, authored a report on batterer intervention programs for the World Health Organization and is an appointed member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council on Sexual and Domestic Violence.
Many young people are turning to pornography for information. With this reality comes an opportunity: We can utilize it to start important conversations with them about sex and relationships, says public health researcher Emily Rothman.
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