Pornography is a part of the internet that’s simply never going away, and there are no signs of it slowing down. In spite of the fact that this is the case, it is posing a serious risk to children with reports indicating that kids as young as ten sometimes get exposed to it due to the pervasive nature of this content.
A survey from Common Sense Media asked around 1,300 teenagers when they first encountered pornography. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that around 54% of the teenagers who responded to this survey said that they first saw pornographic content before the age of 13.
Based on these findings, it seems that the average age at which a child witnesses pornography is 12, even though this content is meant to be restricted to those over the age of 18 or even 21. What makes matters worse is that 15% of survey respondents said that they were as young as 10 years old when they first saw pornography.
It’s not always unintentional exposure that’s to blame either. While 58% of teenagers said that they saw it accidentally, 44% stated that they saw it intentionally. Many teens might be hesitant to admitting something like this, so the numbers may be even higher if that is factored in.
Watching pornography at such a young age can have a detrimental impact on a child’s mental health and development. A lot of pornographic content can be rather violent, and young children may not be able to rationalize that. Sex education is also important since it can prevent children from learning warped ideas regarding sexuality from poorly regulated pornography that is far too easy to access with all things having been considered and taken into account.
Read next: Volume Of Google Searches For Excuses To Skip Work Are At An All-Time High, Proves New Study
A survey from Common Sense Media asked around 1,300 teenagers when they first encountered pornography. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that around 54% of the teenagers who responded to this survey said that they first saw pornographic content before the age of 13.
Based on these findings, it seems that the average age at which a child witnesses pornography is 12, even though this content is meant to be restricted to those over the age of 18 or even 21. What makes matters worse is that 15% of survey respondents said that they were as young as 10 years old when they first saw pornography.
It’s not always unintentional exposure that’s to blame either. While 58% of teenagers said that they saw it accidentally, 44% stated that they saw it intentionally. Many teens might be hesitant to admitting something like this, so the numbers may be even higher if that is factored in.
- Also read: VPN Apps Are The Most Popular Way To Browse The Web Anonymously, According To New Research
Watching pornography at such a young age can have a detrimental impact on a child’s mental health and development. A lot of pornographic content can be rather violent, and young children may not be able to rationalize that. Sex education is also important since it can prevent children from learning warped ideas regarding sexuality from poorly regulated pornography that is far too easy to access with all things having been considered and taken into account.
Read next: Volume Of Google Searches For Excuses To Skip Work Are At An All-Time High, Proves New Study
