According to research conducted by the Children’s Commissioner for England, one in every ten children has viewed pornography by the age of nine.
Dame Rachel de Souza stated that pornography consumption is “widespread” among children and highlighted harmful effects such as many young people’s belief that girls “expect” physical aggression in sex.
According to the report, 47% of young people aged 16 to 21 believe that girls “expect” physical aggression in sex.
Dame Rachel warned that “depictions of sexual coercion and aggression are commonplace” in online pornography, and that the Online Safety Bill must be passed as an “urgent priority” by parliament.
The report’s findings, based on a survey of 1,000 young people aged 16 to 21 in England, include:
• By the age of 18, the majority of young adults (79%) had seen pornography involving sexual violence.
• Many young people believe that girls expect or enjoy physical aggression in sex, such as airway restriction and slapping.
• Almost half (47%) of respondents aged 18 to 21 reported having witnessed a violent sex act.
• More than one-third of young adults reported seeking out violent pornography involving at least one act of sexual violence.
According to the report, Twitter has the highest percentage of children who have seen pornography (41%), followed by dedicated pornography sites (37%), and Instagram (33%).