".....in some cases it may be beneficial...though I am not sure of the details on that."

I am. When I worked in that adult bookstore 30+ years ago, I got to know some customers..(we were a 'friendly' place, and treated customers as people, not as perverts we were just using for profit).

I had several guys tell me how thankful they were that they had this outlet....that their personal lives were 'problems', and that they worried what they would do otherwise. I saw dozens that I suspected felt that way. There were others who just appreciated that there were now books & films (1978..no digital stuff) tailored to THEIR tastes. We had a few female customers who appreciated being able to show an interest in certain things without being judged and 'labeled' for it.

Even though the 'tasteless' products had their following, we learned that there was a ready market for creative, genuinely 'erotic' material also....even with a varied definition of 'erotic'...(kinda like "good music", ya know).

Some societies are pretty open about sexuality, and have shown declines in sex crimes which are 'probably' related to reduced inhibitions and more freedom.

It's all extremely complicated and relevant research is difficult...for obvious reasons... but I am convinced it needs to be done.