In today’s world, there continue to be real problems with rape and sexual harassment. At a young age, many boys are not taught to respect girls, leading to inappropriate and objectifying behavior. There are many opinions on how to spread awareness of this issues, particularly rape. One of the biggest supposed campaigns against sexual assault comes from TV networks who show graphic rape scenes, claiming that it provides the viewer with a sense of reality.

However, showing these horrific scenes does little to nothing to help actual victims or prevent future assaults. While both genders should be educated about rape culture, it does not mean we need to show it on camera.

Shows like Euphoria, 13 Reasons Why, and Game of Thrones depict people dealing with real issues that are important to address. But when it comes to rape, they are taking the wrong approach.

The first issue with showing graphic rape scenes is that it causes desensitization and makes someone less likely to feel shocked or distressed when exposed to violence or cruelty. In a study conducted at the University of Manitoba, two different experiments were conducted to see how rape scenes affected college students. The college students who had viewed rape scenes on TV showed significantly less distress at the prospect of sexual abuse or rape against women. They were more at ease because they had already seen a similar kind of violence multiple times.

This is extremely dangerous. Think about the first time you saw a horror movie. The first time you see a murder on the screen shocks you. But now maybe you can watch a horror movie without flinching because you know when to expect jump scares and what the murder looks like. Apply that to rape. Suddenly, you find yourself not as horrified as the first time you saw it and are able to get through the scene just fine. People need to understand that being overexposed to scenes of rape does not help solve the issue. It normalizes it.

After watching rape scenes, some people find that they are attracted to sexual aggression. Although this does not obviously turn them into rapists, it does open the territory for violence and disrespect in relationships.

Often the argument is made that the trigger warnings at the beginning of the episode or movie should deter the people who are not meant to watch it. But this is also problematic. First, the prospect of curiosity and being told not to do something actually has the opposite effect on the viewers. A thirteen-year-old kid sees that warning and might feel like they are old enough to watch it or are curious to find out what it looks like. The second reason is that, no matter how old someone is or how mature they are, it can have serious psychological impacts. This ties back to the studies found with college students.

Women and even younger girls today live in a constant state of precaution-taking. Whether it’s carrying keys in our knuckles, checking for signs of sex trafficking on the car door, or always having our pepper spray in possession, we feel the constant need to protect ourselves. Almost every girl has heard horrible stories, been in a moment where a man made her feel uncomfortable, or has been walking alone and felt the very real fear of rape or assault.

This is a sad truth that women are already aware of. Do we need to be shown what our fear looks like? We can already imagine it more than men know.

But does exposure to sexual violence help boys understand the struggles women face? Neil Malamuth, a professor of Psychology at UCLA, who studies effects of mass media violence, said that “exposure to sexual violence–even if it is intended to help people see the horror of it–will be sexually arousing to a small, significant percentage of young, male viewers.”

Educating people about how wrong rape is and how to respect women at a young age is a good thing. Educating, however, does not always include showing.

Many girls take rape prevention classes. There also need to be classes on consent for young boys. But showing graphic rape scenes on TV is psychologically damaging and hardly helpful.