Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Your child has almost certainly watched porn – here’s how to talk to them about it

Your child has almost certainly watched porn – here’s how to talk to them about it

If you think your children haven’t watched pornography, I’m sorry, but you may have to think again. Earlier this week, the Children’s Commissioner for England released research which shows young people are accessing pornography via mainstream social media apps.
Channel 4 News followed up with a report on the impact pornography is having on sexual expectations in young people and, in particular, the physical and emotional safety of girls and young women.

I understand the instinct to bury one’s head in the sand, particularly for parents. To do so, however, is to ignore the facts – one in ten children has seen pornographic material by the age of nine. This rises to half by thirteen. At sixteen, it’s 81 per cent (and that’s a conservative estimate, some experts believe it’s as high as 97 per cent). The odds are, your child either has seen it or soon will. Ignoring that fact won’t make it untrue and, without the necessary context, it has the power to define their views about sex.

Jo Morgan, a Relationships & Sex Ed expert I work with, tells me that talking about the difference between fantasy and reality is essential. This doesn’t mean you have to go into specifics of sexual acts with your child until you both spontaneously combust from embarrassment. It could be as simple as pointing out that you wouldn’t watch Strictly a couple of times and then expect to be able to dance like the professionals. In the same way, porn acting is a job.

If you’re very brave/progressive, you can work on the basis that any inexperienced and sexually curious person with access to an entire internet will inevitably look for porn and instead direct them to ethnical sites. They prioritise consent, ensure the bodies are diverse and the orgasms are real. If that’s a bridge too far, work on creating a home or school environment where it is okay to say and hear “no”. It can be in relation to anything, just make sure the young people in your life know that it’s okay to have boundaries and that “no” is a full and definitive answer.

After the Channel 4 report, there was much (predictable) outrage from certain corners of the media, calling on the government to do more, as the much-watered-down Online Safety Bill is debated in the House of Lords.

Of course, I’m not suggesting the government shouldn’t intervene. Many of us believe there ought to be tighter sanctions on social media sites to regulate their content, whether that means reigning in the algorithms which push users towards misogynistic and racist content or going after work which encourages eating disorders and self-harm.

Yet the sad truth is that this type of content is profitable. Money talks. Young people are also incredibly tech savvy. It only takes one child to find a way around parental or in-app controls before potentially damaging content makes its way around their entire school. Young people tell me they were often first shown pornography in the playground by a boy (for it is usually boys) wanting to “gross them out” or shock them.

For both these reasons, changes in the law are not going to be enough. In fact, any of us who have a role in the lives of teenagers need to engage with this issue to make a difference. This is true especially of pornography. That means having some very difficult, very awkward conversations. The alternative, though, is worse.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×