Pornhub Wants To Teach You About Sex But It's Not Quite There Yet

In 2017, porn is at pretty much at everyone’s fingertips. From your computer’s web browser to your favorite mobile social media app, you’re probably only two to five clicks away from graphic sex content. But what if sex ed was as readily available as porn seems to be? Pornhub, one of the world’s largest and most popular sites for pornography, just launched a free sub-site dedicated solely to sex education.

Pornhub’s Sexual Wellness Center’s director, Dr. Laurie Betito, is a clinical psychologist who specializes in sexuality. She is excited to be at the helm of this (seemingly) first of its kind project. “My goal now is to reach as many people as I can, to help inform, and to help educate,” Betito says in a YouTube video posted on the new site. “That’s why I’ve teamed up with Pornhub to create a place where information pertaining to the physical, psychological, and even the most intimate aspects of sex is available to all.”
On the surface, it makes perfect sense. If you’re going to provide people with a huge database of sexual content, you should probably also provide some information on how to engage in sex in a healthy way — especially since porn is many teens and pre-teens’ first crash course on how sex actually works. It’s similar to Tinder’s STD testing center locator. But while Pornhub’s Sexual Wellness Center is noble in its intent, the execution lacks substance.
Formatted like a 2006 blog template, Pornhub’s sexual health site doesn’t have the bells and whistles one would expect from a company that is part of a multi-billion dollar network. In fact, at the time of this piece, even with a formal press release circulating, the wellness site has many unpopulated sections. The articles range from “You Now Have Fewer Reasons To Avoid Period Sex” to “What Is Consent?” But, unfortunately, the site doesn’t seem to teach much about actual sexual health— not yet, at least.

“We understand the importance of educating the general public on a wide range of topics pertaining to sexual health and awareness, and saw an opportunity to deliver knowledge and understanding through renowned doctors and experts,” Pornhub’s Vice President Corey Price said, according to New York Magazine.

The hope, then, is that Pornhub Sexual Wellness Center evolves into something that is more than just a conversation starter. For people who truly need the information, this has the potential to be a valuable resource on sexual health. It’s just…not quite there yet.

About the author

Nadia Elysse

US Editorial Team Lead

Nadia leads Culture Trip's U.S. editorial team. She's a law-educated journalist covering culture, sexual health, health care policy, and marijuana legislation. Her work has been featured in a number of publications including Medical Daily and Newsweek.