Young people trapped between sports betting and pornography

In the middle of Euro football and with the Olympic Games approaching, sports betting is popular. But from gambling to addiction, the line is thin and many people cross the hedge without even realizing it, encouraged by the promising advertisements plastered at bus stops and on social networks.

The figures from a recent study commissioned by the department of Seine-Saint-Denis reveal the true face of this use: one in four bettors lose more than 100 euros per week; players are on average 15 years old, although betting is prohibited for minors. Following this observation, the department launched a campaign to alert users to the danger of sports betting: maintaining the illusion of easy winning, they in fact only benefit their organizers. Denouncing the mechanism that deceives young people – and sometimes their elders – thus contributes to a healthy awareness.

We would like to see the same vigilance applied to other sensitive areas, starting with pornography. Advertisements in this area may appear less explicit – legislation requires – the trap is also terribly effective: it only takes a few clicks to come across pornographic images that will leave a lasting impression. Today, the first exposure to this type of content occurs at the age of 10! And 80% of those under 18 have already had access to it.

However, a paradoxical modesty seems to slow down the denunciation of this mechanism. Without doubt a certain taboo which continues, despite everything, to surround sexuality. But also the specter of censorship: in a free and democratic society, everyone must be able to have fun as they wish.

Fighting against the dissemination of this content to minors remains essential but insufficient. More than ever, it is about betting on the ability of our young people to take a step back from their practices by providing objective information on their consequences through prevention.