A survey has revealed that young people say porn has affected some of them from as young as 11 and it forms a massive part of their growing up. However, most importantly, these young people think it’s ‘damaging’ and ‘addictive’, according to a recent survey.
A poll of 500 British 18-year-olds about the ways in which they’d seen pornography during their childhood had most of them recalling that ‘accessing pornography was seen as typical’ while they were at school. With some kids saying they were 11 when they first saw porn, 45 per cent admit to watching it online by age 14.
Though the research, done by the Institute of Public Policy Research, shows that porn is basically everywhere for the digital natives of Generation Z, it also shows that most young people don’t want to have watched so much of it.
A whopping 80 per cent say online porn is stumbled upon by young internet users, with 70 per cent saying ‘pornography leads to unrealistic attitudes to sex’ and ‘can have a damaging impact’ on their thoughts and feelings on sex and relationships.
More than half of respondents agreed that ‘it would be easier growing up if pornography was less easy to access for young people.’
READ MORE: Why Sex Education Needs To Follow The Pleasure Associated With Sex, Not Just The Dangers
So, if this is a problem to so many young people when they look back on their previous viewing habits, what should be done to stop it? According to The Independent, 86 per cent say that sex and relationship advice – as well as the run-of-the-mill condom-on-a-banana sex education – should be given in schools.
One in three say it should be one of the first things taught at primary school (yep, even before dinosaurs) and many think it needs to be taught by trained experts, but not necessarily teachers (over four in five really don’t want this to happen, and we can’t really blame them. Imagine learning maths from the person who explained gang bangs to you!)
Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, says that this report calls for a change to the sex education curriculum (we’ve read it, it’s got next to nothing about porn and the internet, despite online sites obviously being the main resource kids are using to learn about what they think sex is).
She said: ‘Given the rising levels of pornography, which is very much in the public domain, it is essential that sex and relationships education should be a statutory part of the national curriculum.’
READ MORE: Sex Education Needs A Radical Overhaul Ahead Of The 2015 Election, Says Laura Bates
She added: ‘If this does not happen in schools, a golden opportunity is missed to provide young people with some of the tools they need to lead safe, healthy and happy lives.’
(Bit of a shame she’s called Blower, but we’ll be grown-ups and move on.)
What’s interesting here is that the survey didn’t ask younger kids, who might feel there’s a bit of kudos with looking at porn online, or who haven’t actually attempted to have IRL sex with other people who have only learned sex through porn.
Perhaps the answers here are so damning of porn because older kids are likely to have a bit more objectivity, looking back on their youth. And maybe they’ll have a few more regrets, too – just like the Government will if it doesn’t do something about it pretty soon.
If parents don’t want kids to see porn, and kids don’t want kids to see porn, shouldn’t something be done to make it that little tougher to find online?
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.