SecEd features a great article on our work.  Reward Foundation CEO Mary Sharpe is quoted extensively as journalist Sam Phipps explores the way pornography is influencing the ability of young people to learn and develop as well-rounded human beings.

Phipps writes “Mary Sharpe, CEO of the Reward Foundation – which campaigns to raise awareness of the risks associated with excessive porn use and help those beset by it, including school pupils – says the brain’s structures for sex are being rewired by intense exposure to highly stimulating material.”

“Never before in history has so much of this material been available, and it is growing all the time,” she told SecEd. Usage appears to be growing rapidly too. She cites surveys showing that between 20 and 50 per cent of boys aged 15 in the UK regularly watch porn, up from five per cent in 2008. For 18 to 21 year-olds it rises to around 80 per cent. Girls may be less keen but their numbers are growing too. “In terms of mental health issues in schools, we are seeing a huge rise in things like social anxiety, depression, negative body image,” Ms Sharpe said.

Click here for the full story.