Half of children watch porn before the age of 16

Most young people surveyed said porn was a "poor model for consent or safe sex"

A new study has examined the impact of online pornography on teenagers finding that many have become "desensitised" by explicit material.

More than half of 11 to 16-year-olds surveyed said they had seen pornographic material online, with 94 per cent of these seeing it before the age of 14.

The Middlesex University study, which was undertaken in association with the NSPCC and the children's commissioner for England, asked more than 1,000 children about their experiences of online pornography.

They also found that by age 15, children were more likely than not (65 per cent) to have seen online pornography, though this was more often than not (28 per cent) because of coming across the material accidentally rather than seeking it out.

Most young people surveyed also thought pornography was a "poor model for consent or safe sex" and wanted "better sex education, covering the impact of porn".

They also wanted to "be able to find out about sex and relationships and about pornography in ways that were safe, private and credible".

The lead author of the research, Elena Martellozzo, said that it was "worrying" children could be sent pornography without seeking it out.

"If boys believe online pornography provides a realistic view of sexual relationships, then this may lead to inappropriate expectations of girls and women," she said. "Girls too may feel pressured to live up to these unrealistic, and perhaps non-consensual, interpretations of sex."

"There is a huge task ahead for parents, teachers and policymakers. We found children and young people need safe spaces where they can freely discuss the full range of issues related to sex, relationships and the accessibility of online porn in the digital age."

"Only now are we beginning to understand its impact on 'smartphone kids', the first generation to have been raised with technology that's taken the internet from the front room, where parents can monitor use, to their bedrooms or the playground, where they can't," said Anne Longfield, Children's Commissioner for England.

"We know from the research that very many children are shocked, confused or disgusted by what they see, and it is our duty to help them to question, challenge and make sense of it."

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