New report: Porn is shaping young people's views of sex and relationships, education is key

The average age at which girls are first viewing pornography has dropped by two years since 2018, with young people now on average seeing porn for the first time at age 13.6, a new Our Watch report has found. 

The national violence prevention organisation is calling for better education for young people, warning that the violence and abuse often depicted in online pornography can shape harmful views and attitudes and can lead to violence. 

Our Watch’s new ‘Impact of pornography on young people’ report shows that the average age for girls first seeing pornography has fallen from 16 to 14 since Our Watch’s 2018 report. The latest data found that 72% of young people surveyed said porn often showed aggression and violence against women, and 79% believed that porn impacts how women were viewed in real life. Almost a third said they used porn for sex education. 

The report outlines how harmful and violent porn can negatively affect young people’s attitudes towards gender, sex and relationships.  

This is supported by broader research which has found that harmful gender stereotypes and violence against women are prevalent in online pornography, with about 90% of porn on popular platforms depicting violence or abuse of women.  Exposure to violent porn and frequency of use is associated with a greater likelihood of men holding disrespectful and derogative attitudes that can lead to violence against women.   

The latest report highlights that porn itself is not necessarily harmful, but it is the representation of disrespect and violence depicted towards certain people, particularly women, that is concerning. The report is being released alongside Our Watch’s submission to the NSW’s porn inquiry.   

Key findings:   

• 84% of surveyed young people believe that porn pushes stereotypes of what is expected of men and women in sex 

• 73% of surveyed young people say that porn is degrading to women (young men: 65%, women: 80%) and 69% believe it is harmful. 

• More than a half (53%) of the surveyed young men who have seen porn watch it at least once a week, compared to 19% of surveyed young women.   

• Almost a third (31%) of surveyed young people use porn as a form of sex education – even though many recognise it is not a good way to learn about sex.  

• The younger cohort (16 to 17 years) were more likely to see porn as realistic (25%) than their older peers (15%).  

Our Watch CEO Ms Kinnersly said the report shows an urgent need for young people to receive clear guidance and education about porn and the violence against women it frequently depicts.  

“Generations of young people are now growing up with greater access to porn, and it is porn that frequently shows abusive acts towards women. This can have a major influence on how young people understand sex, gender and healthy relationships at a pivotal time in their lives.   

“Research shows that violent porn can reinforce gender stereotypes and beliefs, which can lead to disturbing attitudes and violence towards women.  

“It is concerning that online porn overwhelmingly portrays women as submissive, while men are shown as aggressive, controlling and dominant.    

“Porn may be a fantasy, but it has real-life impacts. Young men and boys who frequently use porn are more likely to blame a woman for abuse, while acts such as sexual “choking” or strangulation commonly depicted in porn, have become mainstream. More than half of women aged 18 to 35 report being strangled during sex at least once,” Ms Kinnersly said.   

The report also outlined key recommendations to help prevent the potential negative impact of porn on young people. Our Watch advises that the recommendations should be implemented in consultation with experts. 

These include:  

• Integrating pornography into age-appropriate respectful relationship education, comprehensive sexuality education and media literacy education.  

• Professional education for teachers on the topic of pornography. 

• Resources and training for other professionals (including youth workers, health promotion and others)   

Ms Kinnersly said education was fundamental, as young people will continue to seek-out and access porn to understand sex and relationships.  

“Two in five young people say that current education about sexuality and relationships does not meet their needs.   

“Young people need safe and honest discussions to help them think critically about the portrayal of gender roles and relationships in porn, as well as the potential impact it has in their lives.  

“Respectful Relationships education needs to be a part of every school in the country and age-appropriate discussions on porn must be taught alongside consent, gender and preventing violence.” Ms Kinnersly said.  

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Resources 

Our Watch’s The Line is a resource for young people aged 14 – 20 years on sex, dating and relationships.  

The Line has resources for parents on pornography. 

Background on the survey into the impacts of pornography on young people, Our Watch, 2022  

Our Watch commissioned Quantum Market Research to conduct an online survey with 832 young Australians aged 16 to 20 years representative of the Australian population by age, gender identify and location on the topics of gender roles, sex, dating and relationships, including their attitudes towards pornography, 2022.  

The data provided has recorded the percentage of people who responded to “strongly agree” and “agree” with the statements.   

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