Online porn ‘a common pathway into child sex abuse’

Regular watchers of pornography risk being drawn into perpetrating child sex abuse, a helpline has warned.

Stop it Now! UK & Ireland, which seeks to help those worried about their feelings or behaviour towards children, was contacted by 276,414 people in 2022. This was up two-thirds on the previous year and three times the number for 2020.

The charity warned that “developing an interest in more extreme porn is a common pathway into online offending against children”.

‘Dark places’

Stop It Now’s Director Donald Findlater said that although those who view adult pornography may claim they would never view under-age material, the charity has found that people “find themselves in dark places that they never expected to be, doing things they never expected to do”.

He emphasised that “it isn’t too late to stop. The thousands of men who call us after being arrested tell us they wish they’d made a change and stopped sooner.”

Last year, a survey revealed that more than half of British men aged 18-39 watch pornography at least once a month.

YouGov also found that nearly 60 per cent of men in that age group watched porn before the age of 18.

Addicts

In the Republic of Ireland, the number of pornography addicts seeking help at the Cork Sexual Health Centre has rocketed over the last two years.

The centre’s programme has seen a 360 per cent rise in attendees and now has a seven-month waiting list.