Excessive exposure to video games and pornography poses an issue on masculinity, research says.
Psychologist Phillip Zimbardo has included his findings on the provocative Standford University prison experiment in his recent book, "Man (Dis)Connected," as per Al Arabiya News.
The argument reveals that too much exposure to video games and online pornography have negative impacts to young males, which include low participation at school, high disregard in social contact, and being withdrawn from the society.
Zimbardo's study involved 20,000 young men and focused on their interactions with video games and pornography.
The Stanford Prison experiment was conducted in the 1970s and showed that male subjects were easily controlled to act like "sadistic guards" or "passive victims" in a prison environment.
The psychologist also said that the attention should be put to young males who excessively play video games in social isolation, which is in their room, as per BBC World Service.
Video games are now also combined with the easily accessible pornography and it was reported that young men watch it for two hours a week, according to Zimbardo.
A mother whom Zimbardo met during the conduct of the trial reported that her son would play video games for about 15 hours a day, which may indicate that the blend of video games and pornography is going to "a new form of addiction."
It was also noted that the excessive use of video games and pornography also affects mental function, as it yields a sort of excitement and addiction to the reward center of the brain.
In addition, Zimbardo thinks that the issue of masculinity among young boys is infuriated by the negative image of men in the media.
Better sex education in schools stands as a step towards the right path, according to Zimbardo. This will only take place if elements such as emotions, physical contact, and romantic relationships are covered.
For the psychologist, the addictive use of video games and pornography is a serious problem as it puts young men at risk of defocusing from other aspects of their lives.