Watching pornography is not naturally hazardous to men or females. But I would use some caveats. There are people who most likely should not see porn, like those with bad body image or those who have actually been sexually taken advantage of. Depending upon your choice in viewing, you can develop unrealistic expectations about sex or what people like or how you'll be expected to "carry out." And watching with someone needs true consent.
When none of these warnings are up, porn can definitely have advantages. Counselors sometimes recommend it to help individuals become comfy with a specific dream they or their partner may have. Porn can reboot a couple's sex life. It can provide you ideas, or assist you get in touch with what turns you on.
Porn can reboot a couple's sex life. It can give you concepts, or help you connect with what turns you on. Pornography can provide you there at best, or disgust you at worst. Everything depends on what you choose to see. With the availability of porn online, it's possible to sample adequate pornography rapidly that you don't have to find yourself watching wall-to-wall hard-core sex if it's plot driven erotica that interest you. You're just a victim of bad pornography if you let yourself be.
And a word about sex or porn addiction. I do not believe in it. Unlike a chemical substance, like opiates, you can't end up being "addicted" to sex or porn; you can end up being a compulsive viewer. In this case, it's not the pornography that's the problem; it's the compulsive character. If it weren't porn being utilized to act out one's compulsive nature, it might be food or some other behavior.
As for whether it's damaging or beneficial to the performers, let's take females first. There are some who pick to perform because they like sex porn a lot and they consider it an excellent method to make money. Then there are those who are drawn to porn as a way of acting out subconscious mental problems-- looking for daddy's love or penalty for being a bad woman. For many, it's most likely a little of each. Even women with the best psychological health will deal with some downsides from this work. Our culture takes in pornography at record numbers, however the women who carry out are still evaluated harshly.
I'm not sure the male entertainers go out totally unscathed either. While they might not be evaluated as harshly as the women, eventually they're deemed freaks who make their living with their anatomy. John Holmes's fate is the ultimate cautionary tale.
Maybe if we weren't still so consumed with guilt and embarassment about sex, neither enjoying nor performing in these films would bring the weight it does. But then, perhaps we would not be so thinking about them, either. If the fruit were not forbidden, would anyone care to take a bite?