Over half of young British men watch porn regularly, survey reveals

More than half of British men aged 18-39 watch pornography at least once a month, a new survey has revealed.

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

The rate is lower among women, but a third (32.5%) of 18-39 year-olds also admitted watching porn before turning 18.

‘Shocking statistics’

Experts are concerned about the link between easy access to online pornography and sexually aggressive and abusive behaviour among teenagers.

The Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) has called for strict age verification to prevent children from accessing online pornography.

Chief Executive Vanessa Morse said: “These shocking statistics show the prevalence of children watching harmful pornography at a young age.”

Online Safety Bill

Under the Government’s Online Safety Bill, pornographic websites could face large fines and risk being blocked if they do not have suitable age-verification systems in place to prevent children from accessing content.

Morse said: “We need urgent action from the Government to give Ofcom greater power to block porn websites which fail to comply with age verification measures before more children are exposed to irreparable harm.”