Warped expectations: Over half of boys think online pornography is realistic, study finds

Boys who view online pornography believe it’s a realistic depiction of sex, according to a study of British high school students by Middlesex University.

The research, which was commissioned by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), found that out of 1,000 pupils aged 11-16, 53 percent said they had viewed online pornography. While some searched for it, many were likely to have come across it accidentally, often through pop-up ads.

Indeed, 53 percent of boys who had viewed pornography said they thought it depicted a realistic impression of sex, while 39 percent of girls thought the images were realistic.

Some 41 percent of boys and girls who viewed porn for the first time felt ‘curious,’ while 27 percent said they were ‘shocked’, 27 percent ‘confused,’ and 24 percent said they were ‘disgusted.’

X-rated sites were accessed for the first time on a mobile device or tablet by 33 percent of those surveyed.

One girl, aged between 11 and 12, told researchers she “didn’t like it because it came on by accident,” the Guardian reports.

“I don’t want my parents to find out and the man looked like he was hurting her, he was holding her down and she was screaming and swearing,” the girl added. “I know about sex but it didn’t look nice. It makes me feel sick if I think about my parents doing it like that.”

Other children said they were shocked by how internet porn has become normalized and that it was “disgusting and degrading.”

The study also revealed that 94 percent of those questioned who viewed online porn were exposed to it by the age of 14.

READ MORE: Porn sites without age restrictions ‘will be shut down’ – Cameron

Over a third of boys in particular, aged 13-14, said they would copy some of the behavior, while the majority of respondents agreed porn did not help them understand consent (87 percent of boys and 77 percent of girls).

A boy from the study said: “One of my friends has started treating women like he sees on the videos. Not major, just a slap here or there.”

Dr Elena Martellozzo, who co-authored the study said it is “worrying” how some children accidentally stumbled across porn without actively searching for it and that the unrealistic perceptions boys had of sexual relationships could lead to “inappropriate expectations.”

“If boys believe that online pornography provides a realistic view of sexual relationships, then this may lead to inappropriate expectations of girls and women,” she said.

“Girls too may feel pressured to live up to these unrealistic, and perhaps non-consensual, interpretations of sex. This is clearly not positive for developing future healthy relationships.”

Some children criticized current sex education classes in their school. They said lessons on the issues raised in the study could help young people understand the importance of respectful relationships.

READ MORE: UK classrooms may teach students about Internet porn

Chief executive of the NSPCC, Peter Wanless, told the Guardian that exposing minors to porn at such a young age can be “extremely damaging” and called on the British government to do more.

“Industry and government need to take more responsibility to ensure that young people are protected,” he said.

“Age-appropriate sex and relationship education in schools, dealing with issues such as online pornography and children sending indecent images are crucial.”

http://www.rt.com/uk/346762-porn-online-school-realistic/

Yeah, no surprise.

When I was a kid growing up in the age of censorship so intense, that I wasn't allowed to see a pregnant woman on TV, or that men and women actually LIKED to touch each other, I came to be under the mistaken impression that most people supported law and order, and opposed raping and pillaging.

I had to grow up and realize that everyone was actually supposed to wink and giggle when they said things like "with liberty and justice for all," or "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Hhaa. Yea, no surprise

Sad.. That people actually HAVE to be told, this is bad for you, this is why & here is the data.

And most ignore it anyway, & walk around saying, " What is wrong with the world & everyone in it? ".
Because, they were never taught to look at themselves & their own behavior. And confuse 'the norm' with normal'

uh...ya..


here's the thing about these kind of studies..


curious teenagers gonna find a way

used to be they would sneak a peek at uncle's Playboy

or at the stacked chick down the street when she was undressing

or at stag films

the girls on beach in bikinis

take the kid out to the chicken ranch and make a man of him


there has always been the 'seedy' side of life shall we say

the difference today is in the amount of violence or rape type scenarios in porn

and how easy it is now to click and view it all

viewing the naked form is not in and of itself necessarily evil

after all, our museums and art galleries are full of nude paintings


and as far as relationship education
children mimic what they see around them

so parents, teachers, the town they live in, their state, their nation
and our society at large

would be a clearer example of where they are getting their ideas of what a relationship entails from

Yet people still ask : Is chivalry alive

Maybe the Internet should have stayed with the military ¿

Bedroom-Olympics!

Here are some other study titles that are just as meaningful:

"Over half of boys (11-16) believed in Santa Claus for a large percentage of their life."

"Over half of boys (11-16) mirror their parents political beliefs while believing they are smart contemporaries and peers to adults that came up with their own beliefs"

"Over half of boys (11-16) believe in bigfoot and point to beef jerky commercials as proof."

"Over half of boys (11-16) believe bigger is better, might is right, and more is godly, when it comes to Axe body spray."

"Over half of boys (11-16) think that Lara Croft is hot and want to meet her."

"Over half of boys (11-16) hate living at home but can't find work with a livable wage."



This is vague and pointless.
Which behavior is rather important.

The behavior where they put a penis in a vagina?
Or the behavior where they slap her around, humiliate and degrade her, kick her dog, and then put it in her butt while she cries "no?"


This is vague and pointless too.

Is it because they already understand "consent" and they are comparing the concept they understand to what they see in porn?

Or because they don't understand consent and they were given a test during the study to measure how understanding changed?

And do the kids conceptually know that these are movies requiring signed consent by actors to film, but are being told to only consider what they actually see on the screen?

I liked this conclusion:

That's the entire internet, not just internet porn.