Children’s Pornography Exposure and Associated Factors in Ghana: A Mixed-Method Study

Abstract

Children’s exposure to pornography is a global issue and Ghana is no exception. Despite its negative repercussions, limited studies in Ghana use nationally representative data to examine children’s exposure to pornography. Therefore, this study examined the prevalence of children’s exposure to pornography, sources of children’s initial exposure to pornography, children’s reactions after initial exposure to pornography, persons to whom children reported their initial exposure to pornography, predictors of children’s exposure to pornography, and the measures implemented to prevent children’s exposure to pornography. A cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed method was used to study 5,024 children aged 8 to 17 years. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s chi-square test, and binary logistics regression, while the qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The result showed that 37.7% of children were exposed to pornography. Male children, older children, Christian and Muslim children, and children with access to computers and television were more likely to be exposed to pornography. Browsing online and social media use were the primary sources of children’s initial exposure to pornography. Children felt sad and confused, shocked and surprised, and curious when they first encountered pornographic material. Most children spoke to their friends after their initial exposure to pornography. Hence, policymakers need to monitor and regulate the digital space to tackle children’s exposure to pornography.