Most Teens Believe Pornography can Lead to Unrealistic View About Sex

A majority of teenagers in Britain report that access to pornography online leads to unrealistic and often, damaging views about sex.

Around eight out of ten 18-year-olds, who participated in a recent survey, said that it has become easy for young people to access porn. Teens, as young as 13 to 15 years old, report watching porn.

A survey, released by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), shows that teens start watching porn around the age of 13-15 years. By the time they reach 18 years, a majority of them are already addicted to explicit content on the internet.

The survey was based on responses from 500 teenagers who were around 18 years of age.

The researchers even found that teens were participating in dangerous activities. Around 46 percent of the respondents said that they had sent sexual naked videos or images.

Adolescents seem to be aware of the dangers posed by pornography. The survey revealed that two thirds of young women (66%) and almost half of young men (49%) agreed that "it would be easier growing up if pornography was less easy to access for young people." A majority of the respondents (72 percent) said that pornography leads to unrealistic views about sex.

"This new polling data shows that pornographic images are pervasive in teenagers' lives and that young women in particular are acutely conscious of how damaging they can be. It paints a worrying picture about the way online pornography is shaping the attitudes and behaviour of young people," said Dalia Ben-Galim, IPPR Associate Director, according to a news release.

Recent research has shown that children are just few clicks away from accessing explicit content online. The digital divide has grown so wide between children and parents that according to a elated survey, 70 percent of parents are unaware of their kids' activity online.