Report Finds Significant Access to Online Pornography by Teenagers, Both Girls and Boys

A recent report from Common Sense Media shows an alarming percentage of teenagers and pre-teens view pornography online. And it is not only boys who are accessing pornography.

The report confirms that the majority of teen respondents age 13 to 17 have watched pornography online. And a significant number of teens said they were viewing online pornography intentionally on a regular basis. Three quarters of all boys said they had viewed online pornography, only slightly higher than the rate for girls which was 70 percent. While more than half of all boys said they intentionally accessed online pornography, compared to 36 percent of girls.

Some other key findings in the report are:

* The average age when children first viewed online pornography was 12. Some 15 percent of 10-year-olds reported seeing online pornography.

* More than 70 percent of teenagers who said they have intentionally watched pornography reported viewing it in the last week. Nearly 60 percent said they watched online pornography at least once a week. Some 41 percent of boys and 23 percent of girls said they viewed pornography on at least three days in the past week.

* Nearly a quarter of all boys and 20 percent of girls said they had watched pornography while at school.

* Eleven percent of boys and 6 percent of girls said they “wished they could watch more online pornography than they currently do.”

* Nearly half of all teenagers said that pornography gives them helpful information about sex.

The authors conclude by stating that “parents should consider a conversation about pornography in a similar way as they might conversations about sex, relationships, or birth control. Many teens themselves say they want to talk with a trusted adult about what they’re seeing. Although these conversations can be awkward or difficult, they are worth it — teens say the conversations help them understand that there are other options besides pornography for learning about sex and sexuality.”