The resignation of Conservative MP Neil Parish has left many people wondering what could possibly lead someone to think it acceptable to watch pornography in their place of work. After being reported by female colleagues who witnessed his actions, Parish admitted that he had twice looked at pornographic content on his phone in the House of Commons chamber.
As Parish found, using porn at work can be career-ending. It is almost universally deemed unacceptable and is typically viewed as gross misconduct. And not only can getting caught cost you your job, it can also have severe repercussions for your personal relationships.
Psychologists often see pornography along a spectrum, with some viewing it as being relatively harmless or even helpful. But too much use, for the wrong reasons and in inappropriate locations can result in harmful distortions to our perceptions and values. This is considered problematic pornography use. Accessing adult content at work falls into the latter category. And yet thousands of people do it.
