Resources for under 12
Resources on this page are suitable under 12 years of age. They focus on helping boys, but girls may also find them useful. Resources for under 12
Yes, it’s totally natural to be curious about sex, especially during and after puberty. However, the type of sex that appears in online pornography is not designed to help you find your true sexual identity. It does not help you learn about loving sexual relationships, either. Instead its purpose is to arouse such strong emotions in you that you want to keep going back for more.
Internet pornography is a commercial industry worth billions of pounds. It exists to sell you advertising and gather personal information about you. This information is then sold to other companies for profit. There’s no such thing as a free porn website. There are risks to your mental and physical health and relationship development. Pornography can harm attainment at school and lead to involvement in criminal offending.
The reason that sexually arousing material is restricted for children, anyone under 18 years of age, is not to spoil your fun, but to protect your brain at a critical time of your sexual development. Just because you have easy access to pornography through the internet, does not mean it is harmless or helpful.
New legislation on Online Harms is currently being debated by the UK Parliament.
Resources
“Things You Didn’t Know About Porn” was developed with the help of a dad who teaches science. It helps kids, parents and teachers become knowledgeable about the potential negative effects of pornography use. Scientifically based and non-religious, “Things You Didn’t Know About Porn” describes some potential pitfalls of porn use in simple, easy to understand terms. It draws a parallel between junk food and porn, and explains why these activities have the potential to “train” the brain, and become unhealthy habits. This lets youngsters make more informed choices about all potentially addictive substances and activities.
“Things You Didn’t Know About Porn” is a three-part series and you can watch below:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Photo by Fabian Centeno from Unsplash