Online porn is twisting children’s minds, the Archbishop of York has warned, as he called on the public to respond to a Government consultation on the issue.
Archbishop John Sentamu cautioned that pornographic sites can lead boys to see girls “simply as sex objects”, and he called for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to do their utmost to tackle the problem.
His comments come as a petition on internet pornography, signed by over 110,000 people, is to be handed into the Government.
Pressure
The Archbishop commented: “We need to let children be children. Pornographic sites in particular are affecting young people’s views on what is normal.
“This can lead to boys seeing girls simply as sex objects and put pressure on them to have sex earlier.”
Speaking ahead of the consultation closing today, Thursday 6 September, Dr Sentamu said: “This is our last chance to put across to ministers our concerns about the growing amount of inappropriate material being accessed by children and young people.”
He commented: “It is absolutely wrong our children should be left feeling distraught and suicidal due to this needless pressure.”
Heartache
The Archbishop said: “Let us urge the Government through this consultation to compel the ISPs, who make more than £3billion a year selling internet access services, to do what they can to protect our children”, and he added: “The misery and heartache caused to British families is immeasurable.”
The consultation, and guidance on filling it in, can be found on the SafetyNet website here.
The Archbishop’s remarks come as a petition organised by the SafetyNet group and signed by MPs, peers and church figures, is to be handed in to 10 Downing Street and the Department for Education.
Peter Kerridge, the Chief Executive of Premier Christian Media, which is backing the petition, said the “simple measure” would “help to protect generations of young people from online pornographers”.