Well known throughout the world for their sexual liberalism, the Scandinavian countries have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to pornography. After having lifted the ban on it in 1967, Denmark was the first country in the world to legalise it in 1969.

Now, the suggestion of a Danish sexology professor that pornographic images and films should be shown in classrooms as part of sex education has sparked fierce debates, and (fairly understandably), outrage.

However, the suggestion shouldn’t be dismissed for being too extreme too quickly: using pornography as a platform for discussion and critical engagement may be an invaluable aspect of sex education. With the vast majority of young people having access to the internet on smartphones and computers, viewing pornography has become easier than ever before. Anybody, of any age, has access to a plethora of explicit and sometimes violent imagery at their fingertips. As a result, most of us will probably have had some exposure to pornography by the time we have our first sexual experiences, and the material that we view can have a significant impact on the way we approach sex.

It is generally agreed that most porn is unrealistic. Surgically crafted breasts, insatiable appetites and endless stamina are all frequent features, which typically aren’t part of most people’s sexual encounters. Porn does not depict many aspects of real sex – intimacy, love, mistakes and shortcomings. It sacrifices realism for the sake of storyline or fantasy. This can place unrealistic expectations on all genders to live up to unattainable sexual standards, thereby creating serious dents in the sexual confidence of people of all ages.

Perhaps more damaging is the impact that porn can have on women: not only does it affect what women expect of themselves when it comes to body image and performance, but a lot of pornography actively depicts misogyny and objectification, focusing on domination and submission. It promotes the idea that consent to sex is not necessary, insofar as it depicts non-consensual sex in which women are seen to enjoy it. This can have a devastating effect on the way men view women, potentially normalising violence and objectification.

So if pornography is so damaging, why would anyone suggest showing it in the classroom? First and foremost, by the time young people reach the age of consent, most will have already viewed pornography in some form or another. The difference between being shown it at school and viewing it in private is that the former allows for contextualisation. Viewing and discussing pornographic material in a mature way can teach young people how to properly interpret and think critically about it. If the material is there in front of them, teachers can point out the ways in which porn is a warped depiction of sex. This can range from reassuring young men that the size and stamina of porn stars is unrealistic, to urging young women that they should not be expected to submit to violence and aggressive sexual behaviour if they don’t want to.

What’s more, pornography could be used as a platform for discussion regarding many aspects of sexual health. For example, more of an onus can be placed upon the practice of safe sex: teachers can emphasise the importance of practising safe sex even if porn stars don’t. Moreover, porn can be used as the basis of a discussion on gender stereotypes and body image: teaching young people what not to think, and how not to behave, when it comes to sex, will allow them to become far more critical consumers of the industry.

This suggestion might be regarded as extreme by many. Perhaps, in some ways, it is. But what’s important is to resist the temptation to build a straw man. I’ve seen countless comments on forums in response to this proposal by people who seem convinced that we as a society are going to start condoning ‘paedo’ teachers screening ‘Back-alley Sluts 3’ to 9 year olds. Obviously this is far from the case – we’re talking about trained professionals, and moderate content. What’s important is not to underestimate the capacity of young adults to handle this sort of material in a mature fashion; treating students as mature and discussing things frankly with them makes them more likely to translate this mature and sophisticated approach into their sex lives, throughout adulthood, and have the capacity to judge the type of material that is only going to become more and more accessible to them.

The bottom line? Pornography can have its place in classrooms, and could be just what society needs to combat the warped views of sex and gender that it has created.