Censoring pornography

Pornography is a major issue in our society with 4.2 million pornographic sites, 12% of all websites. Clearly with the widespread Internet access, pornographic material is readily available. So should the government censor pornography? What is the definition of pornography in any case? Pornography, is material explicitly depicting sexual content and meant to make the viewer sexually excited. In my opinion, pornography is morally objectionable and can potentially have negative consequences. Thus, the government should censor pornography as much as possible as well as send a clear message that pornography is disapproved.
Most pornographic material (I am referring to pornographic films and pictures) is directed towards men as 72% of men visit pornographic sites. Thus, these tend to portray women as weak, submissive and emphasizes male exploitation of women as well as the treatment of women as merely objects of pleasure. While these films or pictures were taken with the consent of the female actors, nonetheless, the impression is conveyed anyway. Younger viewers would probably be more likely to have these mistaken impressions, especially if they are unaware of the background.
Pornography should also be censored because it offends members of certain religions, such as Christianity and Islam. In both religions, sex is seen as an expression of true love by married couples. Pornography, can be seen as indulging in lust and using sex as merely a shallow means of satisfying short-term pleasure. It can also potentially undermine the traditional form of marriage as a result. Thus, just as the government censors material that is seen as insulting a religion, so should pornography.
Aside from the possible mistaken impression of women, users can become addicted to pornography. Thus, their work efficiency will obviously be lower if they cannot resist watching pornography. If this is done during work, they could be fired. Such addiction would also drain money as the addict buys more pornographic films.
Currently, due to the easy access to the Internet, it is extremely easy for younger users to stumble across pornography and get addicted. In fact, most of the 8-16 year olds who view pornography online do so while doing homework. With their lower will power and their curiosity to discover more about it, they may not grasp the negative implications of pornography. Thus, pornography should be restricted to minimize the impact on this vulnerable group.
The government should attempt to censor as much pornography as possible. While they obviously cannot censor all the pornographic sites on the Internet, they can at least censor the most prominent ones i.e. well-known ones and those that appear first in the search engines. This can be accompanied with the censoring of the more traditional and easily regulated mediums such as magazines. These actions can send out a strong message of disapproval and remind people that viewing pornography is socially unacceptable. While the government currently does block some pornographic sites, these are not thoroughly blocked. Thus, they may not send much of a message when it is so easy to circumvent them.
If the government blocks major pornographic sites consistently, younger web users who may be curious as to what pornography really feels like will be discouraged by their inability to access any sites. Thus, they might give up and find it is not worth the effort. In addition, the realization that the government is blocking these sites may shock them into recognizing that they are engaging in an activity that is disapproved by society. They may shift their focus from enjoying pornography to considering the negative social stigma of their behaviour.
In conclusion, I feel that pornography can potentially portray women as inferior, insult religious sensitivities and have a negative effect on productivity. The government should thus censor pornography, especially to minimize the impact towards the more vulnerable, younger Internet users. The large number of pornographic viewers worldwide should not lure us to think this is acceptable. The negative effect of pornography are far too large to just turn a blind eye.