One in ten children have watched online pornography by the time they reach nine-years-old, a new report from England’s Children’s Commissioner’s Office has found.
It compiled results from a survey of over 1,000 people between 16 and 21 years of age and two focus groups of teenagers aged 13 to 19.
The report found that the average age a child first sees pornography is 13, with half of those surveyed admitting they had watched it by that age.
‘Normalisation’
Almost four in ten (38 per cent) of 16 to 21-year-olds said they had accidentally discovered online pornography, and more children saw it on Twitter (41 per cent) than on porn websites (37 per cent).
One in five men aged 16-21 also admitted to watching pornography at least once a day in the 2 weeks prior to the survey.
In the foreword for the report, the Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza said: “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.”
She added: “I truly believe that we will look back in 20 years and be shocked by the content to which children were exposed”, concluding: “It is crucial that we do not miss the opportunity to make the internet safe for all children, today and in the future.”
I truly believe that we will look back in 20 years and be shocked by the content to which children were exposed.
Online Safety Bill
Ahead of the Online Safety Bill’s second reading in the House of Lords, a Conservative Peer called on the Government to better protect children from accidentally viewing online pornography.
Lord Bethell, a former technology minister, is seeking to strengthen provisions in the Bill in order to force pornography websites to start verifying the age of the users within six months of the legislation becoming law.
A report by Common Sense Media, based on a survey of 1,358 13 to 17-year-olds, found that 58 per cent of respondents had “accidentally” seen pornography at least once.
Cartoon characters used to hook 6-year-olds on porn