All You Need to Know

• Is pornography illegal?

  Watching porn when you are under 18 isn't against the law, and you shouldn't feel worried or ashamed if you are curious. However there are some circumstances when porn is illegal, these include:

  • Showing someone porn or giving them access to porn when they are under the age of 16.
  • Porn which uses videos or images of someone under the age of 18 doing something sexual, including sexting.
  • Porn that includes scenes of rape, pretend or otherwise.
  • Images or videos that depict sexual acts with animals or dead people. 
  • Anything that might put someone's life in danger, or risk physically hurting someone. 

  Find out more about porn and the law here

• Is sending 'nudes' or 'sexting' a form of porn?

  Sexting is when you send a sexual message, image or video to someone else. It can include:

  • Being completely or partly naked or in underwear
  • posing in sexual positions
  • sending 'nudes' or 'dick pics'
  • talking about sexual things you are or want to do
  • or doing sexual things on a live stream

  It's illegal to send nudes or sexual videos to anyone when you are under 18, or for anyone to save or share a nude or sexual video of you, even if it's a selfie and they are also under 18. 
  
  Sexting between adults that are over 18 years old is legal, however sharing someone else's nudes or sexual videos without their consent is against the law. 

  Find out how to report sexting on social media platforms here

  Take the 'Sexting: Know the Law' quiz

• Can porn effect my self esteem or body image?

  Porn has very little bearing on reality and is created using actors who fit into a fantasy role and are often enhanced with surgery. The bodies chosen for porn create unrealistic expectations of what you or your partner should look like, or how you should act.

  Studies have shown that watching porn regularly can affect your self-esteem and body image, especially if you are comparing yourself to content that is edited, or enhanced. 

  If you are curious about bodies and sex, it's better to find out more from trusted sources like Childline, The Mix, or Health For Teens, where you'll see more realistic behaviours and respectful relationships. 

  Find out more about how sexual content on social media can affect you

• Does porn create harmful attitudes towards girls and women?

  While some porn is created to arouse, other types of porn can be made to shock and rack up views online. As a consequence, it can involve harmful behaviour like violence. 
  
  Studies have shown that the majority of harmful behaviour in porn is directed towards women and it doesn't represent what real healthy relationships and sex looks like. This can give you an unbalanced view of how to treat women and girls in real life. 

  Examples of how these disrespectful behaviours affect people in real life can include sharing 'nudes' and revenge porn. 

  Real relationships rely on respect and consent, so if you are curious about sex, it's better to find out more about sex from trusted sources like Childline, The Mix, or Health For Teens, where you'll find out all aspects of sex and relationships, instead of a fake monetised version. 

  Find out the laws around revenge porn

• Why does porn create unrealistic expectations about sex?

  Porn should never be used to teach you how to have sex as it doesn't show what sex is like in real life. 

  Certain harmful behaviours like violence during sex, non-consensual sex (not having consent) or behaviour that is degrading someone else can cause harm, both physically or mentally. Watching porn that shows aggressive behaviours during sex can lead to you not realising what is acceptable and consensual in a healthy relationship.

  Healthy relationships rely on respect and consent, so if you are curious about sex, you can find out more from trusted sources like Childline, The Mix, or Health For Teens.

  Find CEOP information about viewing porn online

• How can I keep myself safe from seeing harmful porn?

  

  It's not uncommon to come across sexually explicit content accidentally on social media, or be sent it in messages by friends. Some actions you can take to avoid stumbling across sexual content include:

  • Checking your privacy settings on social media profiles and online games
  • Don't accept messages from people you don't know online
  • Block any people or profiles that make you uncomfortable on social media, or gaming platforms

  If you feel upset or confused by something you've seen online, you can talk to a trusted adult, or contact Childline by phone, text or email. 

  Find Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) advice about online safety here

• Where can I report something that's happened to me?

  If you are worried or concerned about something you've seen online, please speak to an adult you trust, call Childline on 0800 1111, or report it here:
  
  Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) Report Form

• I'm worried I might be addicted to porn!

  Addictions are when you feel like you can't stop doing something. Unlike drug abuse, porn addiction is a behavioural addiction, meaning that you don't have physical withdrawal symptoms, but you could:

  • Feel strong urges to watch porn regularly
  • Spend a lot of time thinking about porn. 
  • Don't feel in control of the amount of porn you watch
  • Notice it affects how you feel during sex in real life

  Addictions can happen to anyone and are treatable. It can sometimes occur as a way of dealing with difficult feelings, or sensory challenges. 

  Find more information about addiction here

  Counselling and therapy have been proven to be effective ways of dealing with an addiction to porn, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which is a type of talking therapy aimed at understanding your behaviours and helping change them. 

  Find out more about counselling and therapy here