British study shows children becoming addicted to Internet porn - The Province

London — Children as young as 11 are being given "unrealistic expectations" of sex after being exposed to Internet pornography, according to research in Britain.

Academics warned that it was "common practice" for schoolchildren to become desensitized to sexual images after accessing hard-core images at an early age.

Some young people are becoming "hooked" on Internet pornography before they become sexually active, leading to problems in later life, it was disclosed.

The study, published by Plymouth University, said that teachers should discuss online pornography with teenagers in the classroom to help them avoid future sexual difficulties.

Professor Andy Phippen, lecturer in social responsibility in information technology, said more needed to be done to introduce the subject into sex education lessons.

Block Porn?

The comments come amid growing pressure on the government to make Internet companies automatically block access to online pornography. More than 110,000 people signed a petition backing the move.

A consultation into whether Internet users should have to "opt-in" to access adult content closed last month and the findings are expected to be published later this year.

Phippen said: "It's common practice for kids today to watch Internet porn. One thing that clearly came out of it was issues around desensitization.

"Some people are getting hooked on the porn and then are not able to perform in the real world. It can give people unrealistic expectations. It can be very damaging for some people."

Started Early

The research surveyed 1,000 young people, with some saying they first watched pornography "aged 11 or 12".

One secondary school pupil, aged 14, told researchers he "couldn't believe there was anyone in his year who hadn't seen it."

Phippen added: "If this is how you first come across this sort of thing that is a concern. If you have someone accessing hard core porn from the age of 12, what's that going to do to them?"

He said the government and schools needed to realize that pornography was not just for "deviant" youngsters, adding that issues had to be tackled in the classroom.

"The information gathered will now be used to look at how our education system addresses this issue in schools," he said.

"Pupils have told me that this sort of stuff isn't covered in their sex education lessons and they want it to be.

"But how do members of staff go about something that is this difficult to approach? That's something that can hopefully be tackled in the future."

Damaged

The research found that a third of people aged 16 to 24 found sex with partners difficult because of what they had seen online.

Sharon Chapman, from Relate, one of the largest providers of counselling for children, said that pornography distorted a person's view of what a "normal sex life could and should be like."