In recent years, Internet use by younger people has become widespread and the average age at which they have their first mobile device has significantly decreased.
This phenomenon has caused minors to have greater access to content that is not appropriate for their age, such as pornography. In a report published by Save The Children, the average age at which minors begin to consume this type of content is around 8 years old and 6 out of 10 minors declare having accessed pornographic content of some type.
There are some significant differences if we look at sex, 87% of boys claim to have watched porn and do so almost daily compared to 39% of girls, who do it once a week or month.
The experts of Audiovisual Council of Andalusia (CAA) warn that pornography has become the main means of sexual education for many children and young people.
But what consequences does habitual consumption of pornography at an early age have for minors?
- The consumption of pornography incites violent behavior, to practice violence and, furthermore, to normalize it. Pornography tends to trivialize certain violent behaviors and consent.
- It normalizes many risky sexual practices. Minors tend to reproduce the behaviors and normalize the behaviors that are practiced in videos with pornographic content.
- Promotes gender stereotypes and unequal relationships. Exposure to pornography affects minors both in the way they behave and relate to others and in their way of thinking. Pornography is related to behaviors that reproduce gender stereotypes and patterns of inequality in relationships between girls and boys.
- Causes addiction. According to the ranking of the Help for Minors Platform, pornography is among the biggest addictions of Spanish minors, along with gambling and video games.
What can we as education professionals do in the face of all this?
From our role, we must promote greater sexual education in children and adolescents, as well as train parents to prevent and establish limits on the use of mobile devices, thus limiting access to pornography by minors.
In addition, we have prevention techniques that you can learn in our Postgraduate in intervention with Minors led by the best active professionals in the sector. Limited places, don't miss out on yours.
