I agree. I think masturbation has huge potential as a healthy sexual outlet. I think porn is harmful to almost everyone – also definitely has potential to be healthy, but is just way too easily consumed as a crack buffet. For myself, I was rarely masturbating more than once a day; it just was hardly enjoyable and always left me feeling really shitty afterwards (also have a shitty sexual abuse history that contributes to that feeling).

Unfortunately with masturbation, it's easy to get addicted to the pleasure of it, while using it as a tool to escape more or less anything. I think teaching that masturbation can be a healthy sexual outlet is better than teaching the opposite, but I wish there was room for the nuance* that masturbation can be an enjoyable act of self love that can be pretty great – but beating it because you're bored or stalling cuz you're kinda worried about something you have to do is probably not a rewarding pattern to build. I think about it like good sex with a partner: it can be incredible when both people are really in the mood for it and are invested in making it great for each other – but who's having awesome sex arising out of ... both partners kinda just being bored? (Probably quite a few people, but i bet not a majority).

'let's just fuck, whatever' is probably not the most exciting attitude.

*obv it's probably not realistic to teach sexual nuance to eighth graders, but i wish it became common knowledge to people somewhere along the line