A newly published study of 1,004 Australian adolescents aged 16-18 brings bad news for those who continue to believe in the sexual innocence of minors. About 69% have encountered porn by age 16, and 40% of those who have seen it did so by the age of 12. While some, especially girls, first encounter it unintentionally (usually because of social media activity or internet searches for something else), 63.4% of those who see it do so regularly and intentionally, especially boys and those who started viewing it at a young age. The researchers found that those most likely to start viewing porn by the age of 12 were sexual minority kids, those living with a disability, and those from immigrant families where religious education is common. The less information kids receive from school and family about sex among people like them, the more likely they are to seek it in places their parents might not like.
Adolescents’ encounters with online porn
