"Pornography is now the main sex educator for young people"

A new conversation is happening in educational circles, with many speaking up about the need for kids and teens to become ‘porn literate’. It is increasingly evident that kids cannot cope with the onslaught of hyper sexed, supranormal, graphic, abusive, body punishing, downright degrading images they can openly access at the click of a button. Some kids mimic what they see in their behaviours towards others; some are traumatised and wet themselves when recalling horrors their little brains can’t process; others are turned off sex for life, and share “If that’s what sex is, I don’t ever want to have it”. Yes, we have a crisis. And yes, our kids need all the protection, equipping and restoration we can give them.

However, ‘Porn Literacy’ will fail to effectively address porn culture, particularly if it’s the version advocated for by UK voice Jenni Murray, who recently called for porn to be shown in classrooms. The argument is that carefully chosen examples of pornography could be shown to teenagers from, say, the age of 15.

Question: Is your teenage son or daughter watching pornography online? Answer: Yes, almost certainly.

As new figures show 93 per cent of boys and 61 per cent of girls aged 13 to 16 are exposed to porn online, experts are raising the alarm over its impact on young people.

Do young people need to read porn themed novels?