Most children are exposed to online pornography by their early teenage years, a study warns. The research, commissioned by the NSPCC and the children's commissioner for England, said many teenagers were at risk of becoming desensitised to porn. The report is published a week after expert witnesses told the Women and Equalities Committee that girls were wearing shorts under their school skirts to avoid sexual harassment and warned that online pornography was giving children unacceptable messages about sex and intimacy. One year-old girl told researchers: "I didn't like it because it came on by accident and I don't want my parents to find out and the man looked like he was hurting her. He was holding her down and she was screaming and swearing. A year-old boy said: "One of my friends has started treating women like he sees on the videos - not major - just a slap here or there. Another year-old girl said: "A few of my friends have used it for guidance about sex and are getting the wrong image of relationships. Dr Elena Martellozzo, who co-led the research, said: "Although many children did not report seeing online pornography, it is worrying that some children came across it accidentally and could be sent it without seeking it. Anne Longfield, Children's Commissioner for England, said it was worrying that many children were exposed to pornography.


Internet Pornography Statistics in the United States
Naked images
There is a lot of discussion about the possible effects of online pornography on children and young people and the messages pornography generates about gender, equality and sexuality. Pornography exists within a broader sociocultural context in which stereotypes about gender, sexism, sexual objectification and violence-supportive attitudes are also at play. Nearly half of children between the ages of experience regular exposure to sexual images. Young males are more likely than females to deliberately seek out pornography and to do so frequently. Pornography use can shape sexual practices and is associated with unsafe sexual health practices such as not using condoms and unsafe anal and vaginal sex.
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Surprisingly, the average age of a child the first time they see internet pornography is 11 years. Tweens and teens are at the age of natural curiosity about sex. When presented with the opportunity and such easy access, many are choosing to view pornography — and doing it more than once.
But it also found that it provided a significant way for older gay, lesbian, and bisexual teenagers to understand their sexuality. Plans to introduce mandatory age verification for all pornography sites have been put on hold while the government reviews its plans, after a bungled introduction of the policy last summer. The original age-verification system faced repeated delays and was finally scrapped in October , amid ongoing concerns about data security and the ability to implement the system. The government is looking to find a new way of stopping unders from viewing pornography. There has been limited research into the reach and impact of online pornography by those preparing to implement the policy, despite industry estimates that about a third of the UK population watches it — meaning there is little understanding of the consumption habits around one of the biggest forms of media in the country. In a sign of the sensitivities around research into the subject, the British Board of Film Classification, which was to be responsible for age verification, has decided to make the findings of the study only available on request. The organisation said it would not be uploading its own research to its website or publicising it, because it contains graphic material. The study, which combined a statistically representative survey of secondary school-age children with in-depth interviews and focus groups with parents, found that adult material was a prominent feature in British childhood. The report also found that while parents thought their sons would watch pornography for sexual pleasure, many erroneously believed their daughters would primarily see pornography by accident.