Last updated on August 31, 2020
Question:
Hi,
This is very awkward, but is it a sin to look up pictures of puberty or videos? I am just wondering. Also, is it bad if you watch a medical video from a real doctor about puberty or physical exams to know what to expect? My friend told me that he found a video about it, but it’s a real one. He just saw the video title, not the video but then found a web site from a doctor who wrote about it and showed pictures of what to expect. He said it had everything from blood pressure to genital exam and since he is Catholic he asked me to ask because I read your web site before, and he had this question. So is that a sin, yes or no?
Answer:
There are several good web sites about puberty, adolescence, growth, development, etc. There are also a number of trashy sites.
For example, WebMD has a decent article on what is physical exam is for and what is checked that does not involve inappropriate pictures. You need to realize that just because a video claims to be done by a doctor, it doesn’t follow that the person is a doctor. Check the organization putting out the video first. Hospitals and medical colleges typically put out good material that is respectfully done. But a video put on a video sharing site like YouTube can be done by anyone. An inappropriate video can give you the wrong ideas about what to expect during an exam.
The same is true about puberty, growth and development. There is a lot of false information being distributed. Again, check out who put out the video. Is this a reputable organization? You might have to do some searches on the organization or the person involved to see if it is legitimate.
The fact is that there are people who capitalize on the novelty and awkwardness of becoming an adult as a way to promote immorality. There are videos which claim to talk about medical exams, but are nothing more than pornography in a medical setting. There are videos which talk about growing up, but they promote sex outside of marriage as being normal or even expected. You need to be picky about what you look at because it is hard to get bad images out of your mind.
Even properly done information can become wrong if the person isn’t so much interested in information as he is looking for a way to get himself sexually aroused. The motivation is something only you can answer for yourself.