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Children first see online pornography aged just 13

Pastoral issues Behaviour Safeguarding PSHE Other subjects E-safety Pupil wellbeing
Pornography exposure is so “widespread and normalised” that children “cannot opt-out” – with some pupils being just nine-years-old when they see it for the first time.

New research involving young people aged 13 to 21 found that 64% of them had seen online pornography and that, of these, the average age of first exposure was 13.

Furthermore, 10% said they had seen porn for the first time at the age of nine and 27% at the age of 11.

The investigation by the Children’s Commissioner for England also reveals that 79% have encountered violent pornography by the time they are 18.

It warns too that Twitter is the most common place that young people see pornography (41%), followed by dedicated pornography sites (37%), Instagram (33%) and then Snapchat (32%).

The report is based on focus group work with teenagers aged 13 to 19 and a survey of 1,000 young people aged 16 to 21. It concludes: “We find that pornography exposure is widespread and normalised – to the extent that children cannot ‘opt-out’.”

Children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza says her findings should spur politicians into speeding the passage of the Online Safety Bill, which will bring in a duty of care on platforms to protect children as well as stronger age verification requirements.

However, she is also calling for relationships and sex education to address pornography more effectively. She is to publish a report in due course offering proposals for how to do this.

Currently, the statutory RSE curriculum only mentions porn twice and states that by the end of secondary school pupils should know “that specifically sexually explicit material, e.g. pornography, presents a distorted picture of sexual behaviours, can damage the way people see themselves in relation to others and negatively affect how they behave towards sexual partners”.

Dame Rachel led the government-commissioned review into online sexual harassment and abuse in 2021/22 and is warning that “harmful behaviour is directly influenced by violent pornography”.

She explained: “Throughout my career as a school leader I have witnessed the harmful impact of pornography on young people. I will never forget the girl who told me about her first kiss with her boyfriend, aged 12, who strangled her. He had seen it in pornography and thought it normal.

“This report does not make for easy reading, but nor should it. I truly believe that we will look back in 20 years and be shocked by the content to which children were exposed.”

Dame Rachel warns that in today’s world of online pornography “depictions of degradation, sexual coercion, aggression and exploitation are commonplace, and disproportionately targeted against teenage girls”.

She added: “I am deeply concerned about the normalisation of sexual violence in online pornography, and the role that this plays in shaping children’s understanding of sex and relationships.”

Elsewhere, the research finds that 21% of males aged 16 to 21 viewed content at least once a day in the two weeks prior to the survey, compared to just 7% of girls.

Indeed, boys and those who first viewed online pornography at age 11 or younger were significantly more likely to become frequent users of pornography, consuming it twice or more per week.

The report adds: “Focus group participants told us that pornography was sought for several reasons – sexual gratification, curiosity and to ‘learn’ about sex, and pressure to ‘fit in’ with peers.”

The report comes as the Online Safety Bill slowly works its way through Parliament (DCMS, 2023). The Bill will force online platforms which fail to protect people to answer to a regulator and face fines or, in the most serious cases, being blocked.

Platforms likely to be accessed by children will also have a duty to protect young people using their services from “legal but harmful” material and providers who publish or place pornographic content on their services will be required to prevent children from accessing that content.

Dame Rachel added: “(The Bill) holds the promise of, finally, regulating pornography sites and ensuring that they implement robust age-verification to protect children. Now is a vital moment to ensure that we understand the impact of pornography on children’s lives, and to legislate for a commensurate response.”

There is also a role, of course, for education. The report says that approaches to teaching children about pornography should “sit within a broader RSE strategy”. It says lessons should be: “Dynamic and relevant, fully informed by children’s concerns and experiences, and involve meaningful communication with parents.”

The report adds: “As one young person during a focus group explained, it is not enough for RSE lessons to only focus on the ‘practicalities’ of sex, such as STIs, pregnancy and contraception. Young people also want education to cover the ‘emotional’ aspects of healthy relationships, and how these relate to a physical relationship.”

The children’s commissioner has also published alongside her report an information sheet offering advice and insights for parents and teachers (see below).