Recent events suggest we don\u2019t like hypocrisy very much, although most of us are obviously hypocrites ourselves, in one way or another. Louis Theroux flourishes in this grey area, between the views of upright, respectable folk and our more complicated reality. We\u2019re all capable of saying one thing and doing another, when we think no one\u2019s looking.<\/p>\n

In the case of porn, the subject of one of Theroux\u2019s three new, US-based documentaries (the others are on gangsta rappers and far-right influencers), the contradictions are rife.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the myriad hypocrisies \u2013 which I share, by the way. People who might watch porn on their computer, but think the people who make it are ugly or disgusting. It\u2019s a classic old trope, isn\u2019t it? That double-edged attitude to sexuality in general,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the themes in the world of porn is that because many people in the mainstream view it as somewhat distasteful, while probably at least some of them are using it, disreputable people thrive and a lot of bad stuff happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my life, of course, I\u2019ve been a user of porn. I sort of see it as a bit like\u2026 maybe this sounds harsh, but it\u2019s a bit like junk food, right? It\u2019s not something you\u2019re especially proud of using. But there are times in your life when you can\u2019t get a decent meal, or you\u2019re in a rush, or you\u2019re just trying to get a need met.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s hardly alone, is he? Though not everyone would have answered the question. What has changed relatively recently is that very young children now have access to pornography, and while almost everyone agrees this is certainly a problem, nothing much is done about it. Perhaps because no one knows what to do.<\/p>\n

The singer Billie Eilish, who\u2019s now just 20, said recently that she started seeing porn from the age of 11, and it \u201cdestroyed my brain\u201d. She had nightmares because some of the content was so violent and abusive. It also affected what she expected in her relationships.<\/p>\n

Theroux and his wife Nancy Strang have three sons, aged 15, 13 and seven. Is he worried for them?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019m conscious of, [but] slightly tuning it out. I tend to think it\u2019s a legitimate cause for concern, but also that children raised by parents who are looking out for them and keeping an eye on them are reasonably robust. I\u2019m on the cusp of my kids entering that stage of their lives, so I may have a rude awakening ahead of me. I haven\u2019t even disabled the settings on my internet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve talked to them. I have said to them, \u2018When you see porn, if this is something you\u2019ve stumbled across, just so you know, that\u2019s not the real world. That\u2019s not how people have sex. That\u2019s people who are performing and doing things to satisfy consumers and don\u2019t mistake it for how sex takes place.\u2019 Along those lines. And it\u2019s like, \u2018Shut up, Dad.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n