The recent statistics on pornography and youth.
- The report’s key findings highlight why it’s imperative for parents and caregivers to talk with kids about pornography sooner rather than later.
- 15% of teen respondents said they first saw online pornography at age 10 or younger. The average age reported for first viewing pornography is 12.
- 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.
- The majority of the teens who reported in this survey that they had seen pornography said they feel “OK” about the amount of pornography they watch (67%). Still, half (50%) reported feeling guilty or ashamed after watching pornography.
- There were significant differences by gender in terms of intentional consumption. Overall, 52% of cis boy respondents said they had consumed pornography intentionally, compared to 36% of cis girls.
- Pornography may play a larger role in exploration for LGBTQ+ teens than for other teens. Two-thirds of LGBTQ+ teen respondents consumed pornography intentionally.
- The report was based on a representative national survey of 1,300 teenagers ages 13 to 17. Some of its findings:
- Seventy-three percent of the respondents (75 percent of boys and 70 percent of girls) said they had watched online pornography. The average age they started was 12. Many began younger.
- Seven in 10 who admitted they had watched porn intentionally said they had done so in the past week.
- Four in 10 said they had watched pornography, including nudity and sexual acts, during the school day. Almost half said they had done so on school-owned devices.
- Of those who watched the past week, 80 percent said they had seen “what appears to be rape, choking, or someone in pain.”
- Fewer than half (43 percent) said they had discussed pornography with a trusted adult. (Robb and Mann, 2023).
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