Inside the disturbing rise of ‘smut books’ among teens

Recently, the Utah State Board of Education ordered the removal of 13 books from public school libraries across the state. The decision was made in accordance with guidelines set forth in the state’s “Sensitive Instructional Materials” Act (53G-10-103). These books were found to contain material that is harmful to minors. While some disagree with the law, those who support it argue that it is a necessary step to protect children from the sexually explicit content that is so easily accessible.

The removal drew mixed reactions, but it did highlight a worrying trend: adult themes and explicit sexual content are increasingly common in “young adult” literature, which is actually intended for the 12- to 18-year-old age group.

To make matters worse, the growing popularity of what are known as “smut books,” written for younger audiences, has been fueled by the presence of social media communities, including a section of TikTok known as BookTok. Here, teens discuss the latest “spicy” books they’ve loved and rate them based on how explicit they are—the spicier the better. But calling them something cutesy like “spicy” distracts from the reality of what’s actually happening, which is the normalization of erotic and pornographic literature for teens. As one writer for the website Protect Clean Fiction puts it, “smut is porn,” and these books “not only romanticize fictional porn, it normalizes the sexualization of young audiences.”

Some argue that using the term “pornography” in this way goes too far. However, The New Oxford American Dictionary defines pornography as “printed or visual material containing an explicit description or depiction of sexual organs or activity intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.” Pornography can be visual or descriptive in nature.

Of course, it’s important to recognize that not all references to sex in literature are problematic. Children and teens should be taught about the importance of healthy sexual relationships, ideally by parents and caregivers. But the content of smut books is highly sexualized and often emphasizes fantasies and behaviors that are likely to hinder the development of realistic perceptions of what is healthy, just like other forms of pornography. Gail Dines, author of the book “Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality,” calls porn “the world’s de facto system of sex education,” and that’s not a good thing.

In addition to creating unrealistic ideas about sex, teen erotic literature is filled with harmful messages about consent, objectification of women and girls, love, manipulation, violence, coercion, and powerlessness. There is a wealth of research on the negative effects of early exposure to sexualized literature and other media. Because porn (both written and visual) has become so easily accessible, our country is facing a serious epidemic. In 2020, 17 states, including Utah, declared pornography a public health emergency.

Sexual content in books is nothing new, but it is becoming much more accepted now that the stigma that was attached to it 30 years ago has largely disappeared. Part of the change has a surprising origin: the popularity of Stephenie Myer’s YA fiction book “Twilight.”

Considered a fantasy novel, “Twilight” captivated a predominantly female audience with its unusual love triangle involving a vampire, a human and a werewolf. There were also moral themes running through the books, and the content was tame compared to much of today’s romance genre. But the popularity of the “Twilight” books spawned waves of fan fiction, some of it not so wholesome in nature.

As more sexually explicit and violent content began to circulate online, the narrative around reading erotica began to change and divide opinions. For many, it was no longer taboo, consumers began to openly and unapologetically declare that they enjoyed reading extreme sexual content, and in some circles, pornography was hailed as healthy. Adults weren’t the only ones paying attention to this type of literature. Teens also became more aware of ‘spicy’ content for younger audiences, as authors continued to push the boundaries of what was considered appropriate for young adults.

Now, many parents may vehemently object to what many of their children are reading on a screen hidden between the pages of a book, often adorned with an innocent-looking cover. For example, the cover of one popular book, “Icebreaker” by Hannah Grace, features a cartoonish drawing of a female figure skater and a male hockey player, giving it an innocent feel. But read the detailed description in a parenting guide, and you won’t find a sugary romantic comedy or a coming-of-age story, but one with adult themes and graphic descriptions of sex.

So what can parents do? First, parents need to know what kind of literature is available to their children. After finding out what is popular and trending among teens, parents can do research on the books their children are reading or want to read. Common Sense Media is a good resource. Also, remember that minors are heavily influenced by the people they see online. Find out who your child might be influencing and what types of media they recommend.

Most importantly, parents need to talk to their children. Ask questions about books they’ve heard about or even read. Talk to them often about avoiding pornography in any form, and teach them to trust their intuition if something makes them uncomfortable. Build a trusting, open relationship so that your children feel comfortable talking to you about things they’ve heard or disturbing material they may have been exposed to.

Teaching our children about healthy relationships, respect for others, and appropriate content in media will teach them how to navigate the daily challenges of media choices. The things we say can have a positive and measurable impact on our children’s worldviews, and this will help them make good choices about literature for themselves.