Children who look at pornography are more likely to have sex at a younger age, a study from The Office of the Children’s Commissioner revealed on Friday.
The report found that a “significant proportion” of school age children are exposed to pornography, often on the Internet.
Officials want the Department for Education to ensure lessons on relationships start in primary school and sex education is made compulsory in all schools.
The study said viewing porn can mean children develop unrealistic attitudes about sex and believe that women are viewed as sex objects.
Children’s Commissioner for England Maggie Atkinson said: “We are living at a time when violent and sadistic imagery is readily available to very young children — even if they do not go searching for it, their friends may show it to them or they may stumble on it while using the Internet.”
She added: “For years we have applied age restrictions to films at the cinema but now we are permitting access to far more troubling imagery via the internet. It is a risky experiment to allow a generation of young people to be raised on a diet of pornography.”
The report was based on a review of academic research including 41,000 items of literature.
Calls to protect children from internet porn
