Porn and YouthStatistics: Youth & Porn (older archives available here) 

  • 73% of teen respondents age 13 to 17 have watched pornography online—and more than half (54%) reported first seeing pornography by the time they reached the age of 13 (Common Sense Media, "Teens and Pornography, 2023)

  • Studies have highlighted the lack of formal sex education during childhood and adolescence, instead showing a preference to obtain information through pornography or the internet rather than going to health professionals or their parents. This can lead to dangers for their affective-sexual health, not only because of the risky practices that are displayed but also because they favor sexual practices based on male domination and female submission. (National Library of Medicine, June 2023).

  • A report from Common Sense Media revealed:
    • 75% of teenagers have viewed pornography by age 17
    • Average age of first exposure to pornography is age 12
    • 41% of teenagers saying they had seen images of nudity or sexual acts online during the school day (bypassing existing WiFi filtering)
    • 58% say they came across the pornography by accident while surfing the web or on social media
    • Survey of 1358 Americans age 13 to 17 found that more than half said they viewed violent porn (rape, choking, someone in pain)
    • 45% from above survey said porn provided helpful information about sex and helped them discover their sexuality
    • 5% of teen respondents said they first saw online pornography at age 10 or younger. 
    • While the vast majority of respondents said they have seen pornography, nearly half (44%) indicated that they had done so intentionally, while slightly more than half (58%) indicated they had encountered pornography accidentally. Unintentional exposure to pornography could be a common experience for teens, as 63% of those who said they have only seen pornography accidentally reported that they had been exposed to pornography in the past week. (2022 Teens and Pornography, Common Sense Media)
  • A nationally representative estimate of U.S. youths (ages 14 to 18) exposed to pornography: 84.4% of males and 57% of females. (Preliminary Insights from a U.S. Probability Sample on Adolescents' Pornography Exposure, Media Psychology, and Sexual Aggression. Journal of Health Communication, 2021).
  • A meta-analysis of 37 studies found that exposure to violent or rape pornography increased a child’s odds of experiencing sexual exploitation by nearly three times. (JAMA Network Open 3, no. 9 (2020)
  • Research on the Impact of Porn and Children (BBFC, 2019)
    • 41% of young people (aged between 11 and 17) who knew about pornography agreed that watching pornography made people less respectful of the opposite sex. Only 13% disagreed.
    • 75% of parents in the survey thought their child hadn’t seen pornography online, but in reality 53% of their children reported that they had in fact seen it.
    • 60% of parents claimed to have discussed pornography with their child. However, very few children interviewed in the qualitative work said they had had such a conversation.
    • Parents were more likely to think their sons had seen pornography than their daughters. 17% of parents answering about their daughter thought their child would have seen pornography, compared to 32% answering about their son. In reality, 58% of girls in the survey actually reported having seen pornography at some point compared to 68% of boys. Fathers were also more likely to think their child had seen pornography, regardless of their child’s gender (34%) compared to mothers (19%).
    • 51% of 11 to 13-year-olds reported that they had seen pornography at some point.
    • 66% of 14 to 15-year-olds reported that they had seen pornography at some point
  • The exposure of children to internet pornography is having impact on the development of harmful sexual behaviors. The average age of first perpetration of sexual violence is 15 -16 and is associated with exposure to pornography (Prevention Science - 2017).
  • New research from security technology companies suggests that children under the age of 10 now account for 22% of online porn consumption among the under 18 age while 10-14 year-olds make up 36% of minor consumers (Bitdefender, 2016)
  • More and younger children are accessing internet pornography. The average age of first exposure is 11 (Randel and Sanchez, "Huffington Post" - 2016). However, "children under 10 now account for 22% of online porn consumption under 18" (British Journal of School Nursing.)
  • A 2016 meta-analysis of pornography research reveals adolescent pornography consumption is significantly associated with stronger gender-stereotypical sexual beliefs, earlier sexual debut, increased casual sex behavior, and increased sexual aggression both as perpetrators and victims
    (Peter J, Valkenburg P M. Adolescents and pornography: a review of 20 years of research. J of Sex Research. 2016; 53(4-5), 509-531.)
  • Of sexually explicit content produced children aged 15 years of younger:
    • 85.9% of content was created using a webcam
    • 93.1% of content featured young girls
    • 89.9% of the total images and videos were distributed on third party websites.
      Internet Watch Foundation. (2015) “Emerging Patterns and Trends Report #1: Youth-Produced Sexual Content.” Internet Watch Foundation, in partnership with Microsoft.
  • 60 percent of students surveyed said they watch porn in order to learn more about sex and learn about gaps in their sexual education, even though 3/4 admitted porn creates unrealistic expectations. (National Union of Students, Student Opinion Survey 2014) 
  • 32% of teens admit to intentionally accessing nude or pornographic content online. Of these, 43% do so on a weekly basis.
    TruResearch (2012) Covenent Eyes 2015 Pornography Statistics. [Accessed 29th December 2015] http://www.covenanteyes.com/lemonade/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2015-porn-stats-covenant-eyes.pdf
  • Only 12% of parents know their teens are accessing pornography. TruResearch (2012) Covenent Eyes 2015 Pornography Statistics.
    [Accessed 29th December 2015] http://www.covenanteyes.com/lemonade/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2015-porn-stats-covenant-eyes.pdf
  • Among youth 12–years to 14–years, 88% in the United States used the Internet.
    [26] “2008 World Internet Project survey of 13 countries revealed that among youth 12–years to 14–years, 88% in the United States used the Internet,” http://www.cdmc.ucla.edu/KS_Media_biblio_files/ Guan & Subrahmanyam 2009.pdf (accessed June 6, 2014 ).
  • 93.2% of boys and 62.1% of girls have seen online pornography before age 18.
    (http://www.familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html - accessed June 6, 2014).
  • The mean age of first exposure to Internet pornography is 14.8(girls) and 14.3 (boys). [28] Chiara Sabina, Janis Wolak, and David Finkelhor, “The Nature and Dynamics of Internet Pornography Exposure for Youth,” CyberPsychology & Behavior 11, no. 6 (December 2008): 691-693. “The current study used an online survey to question a convenience sample of college students about experiences with online pornography before age 18. . . . Overall, 72.8% of participants. . . . Most exposure began when youth were ages 14-17, and boys were significantly more likely to view online pornography more often and to view more types of images. . . .Girls were significantly more likely than boys . . . to report never looking for pornography on purpose. . . .” (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/cpb.2007.0179 - accessed June 6, 2014).
  • At least 44,000 primary school children and 473,000 children between ages of 6 and 17 accessed an adult website, mostly offshore, in the month of December 2013 from a computer. (http://www.atvod.co.uk/news–consultations/news–consultationsnews/Atvod–publishes–research–showing–scale–of–underage–access–to–adult–websites (accessed June 6, 2014). The AVTOD Association for Television on Demand) research tracked the actions of youth using the internet from a desktop or laptop in December 2013. The research did not track youth accessing Internet pornography from smart phones. Most of the major offshore adult services are unregulated and allow free, unrestricted access to hard core porno to visitors of any age, including children. This includes 23 of the 25 adult websites most commonly accessed from the UK.)
  • Teens are at a great risk of developing a pornography addiction as their brains are still developing.
    Riemersma J. & Sytsma M. “A New Generation of Sexual Addiction.” Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity, 2013 Oct; 20(4): 306-322, at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/usac/2013/00000020/00000004/art00006?crawler=true
  • Internet pornography has become sex education for many children. "Particularly among younger children, exposure to pornography may be disturbing or upsetting…pornography is a poor, and indeed dangerous, sex educator." (Child Abuse Review -- 2009).
  • Of an online sexual imagery survey, 97% of boys had viewed pornography.
  • Of an online sexual imagery survey, 80% of girls aged 16-20 had watched pornography.
  • Weekly pornography viewing is significantly associated with inconsistent condom use with casual partners, engaging in anal intercourse and sexting.
    Tracy Parish, “Studies shed light on sexual behavior of teenagers,” Burnet Institute, 10/9/14, at http://www.burnet.edu.au/news/435_burnet_studies_shed_light_on_sexual_behaviour_of_teenagers
  • Eight out of ten 18 year olds think it is too easy for young people to accidentally see pornography online.
    Tracy Parish, “Studies shed light on sexual behavior of teenagers,” Burnet Institute, 10/9/14, at http://www.burnet.edu.au/news/435_burnet_studies_shed_light_on_sexual_behaviour_of_teenagers
  • Almost half (46%) of teenagers say "sending sexual or naked photos or videos is part of everyday life for teenagers nowadays."
  • Longitudinal research shows that childhood exposure to violent pornography predicts a nearly six-fold increase in self-reported sexually aggressive behavior later in life. (National Library of Medicine, February, 2011)
  • Seven out of 10 (72%) 18 year olds say “pornography leads to unrealistic attitudes to sex” and that “pornography can have a damaging impact on young people’s views of sex or relationships.”
  • Two thirds of young women (66%) and almost half of young men (49%) agree, "it would be easier growing up if pornography was less easy to access"
  • In 2008, more than 560 college student responded to an online survey:
    • 93% of boys and 62% of girls were exposed to pornography before 18.
    • 14% of boys and 9% of girls were exposed to pornography before 13.
    • 69% of boys and 23% of girls have spent at least 30 consecutive minutes viewing Internet pornography on at least one occasion.
    • 63% of boys have done so more than once, and 35% of boys have done so on more than 10 occasions.
    • 83% of boys and 57% of girls have seen group sex online.
    • 69% of boys and 55% of girls have seen same-sex intercourse online.
    • 39% of boys and 23% of girls have seen sexual bondage online.
    • 32% of boys and 18% of girls have seen bestiality online.
    • 18% of boys and 10% of girls have seen rape or sexual violence online.
    • 15% of boys and 9% of girls have seen child pornography.
      Chiara Sabina, Janis Wolak, and David Finkelhor, “The nature and dynamics of Internet pornography exposure for youth,” CyberPsychology and Behavior 11 (2008): 691-693.