6. Sex and The LawUh-oh. PornographyOf the potential causes of harm to our children,what role does pornography play?Children and young people are often curious aboutpornography and may seek it out as part of theirself- education.The evidence is hard to find (after all it’s a difficultsubject to research!) but what seems clear is thatboys who watch violent pornography a lot (weekly)have more aggressive sexual behaviour.21 Onestudy of 275 Canadian teenagers with an averageage of 14 found a link between boys’ frequent useof pornography and their agreement with the ideathat it is OK to force a girl to have sex.22 This is animportant finding as it highlights that boys and girlswho watch this regularly need to know that forcedor violent sex is never acceptable, and is illegal.When it comes to the effects on girls, moreresearch attention has been paid to the effect ontheir self-esteem. It appears that pornographycan affect both girls’ and boys’ self-esteem bypresenting them as sexual types which they feelthey have to live ‘up’ to.2356Is a one-off exposure to pornography likely to dolasting harm?It may be unpleasant and offensive for yourchildren, but of no more effectthan that. It may certainly upset a child, offend a child, or make them feelanxious. Many children and young people may already be aware that somepeople produce this type of material and that it does not represent a happy,healthy kind of sex.Their response can be lessened or heightened by the ways in whichfamilies interact and discuss what is seen. Tell your children what yourbeliefs are about porn and what your concerns are, and be sure to let themknow that porn does not represent all sex or sexual relationships.
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