PA62
ROSS HENDRY CEO of CARE
DEAR FRIEND,
September 2023
One of the great challenges of our time is how best to protect our children and grandchildren from harm, and one of the key battlegrounds in this fight is the access to and the prevalence of pornography online. When CARE first began 40 years ago, the problem was newsagents selling pornographic magazines in full view of children. Today, the problem is altogether more complex and invasive. The same year that Lyndon and Charlie changed the name of the Nationwide Festival of Light to Christian Action Research and Education, the Internet was born. As it’s grown and expanded, it has brought great benefits, but it also has a darker side. Online pornography is a huge and powerful industry, and our smartphones are easy gateways to the internet. In January this year, the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, published a new report. It highlighted that the average age at which children first see porn is 13. Meanwhile, 10 per cent of children have seen porn for the first time by the age of nine, while 27 per cent have seen it first by the age of 11. These numbers are shocking. The reality is that many young people see ‘consuming’ pornography as ‘cool’ and normal. One girl quoted in the Commissioner’s report said: ‘In year 9, I remember people being picked on because they hadn’t watched porn before, and that is kind of shocking thinking that now.’ One of the most disturbing realities is that children can also stumble across pornography online, entirely by accident. Another girl said: “I think sometimes you can end up finding stuff like that without even meaning to. Whether it’s social media and ads come up that you’re not even looking for.” When you look at evidence for where children are getting porn, the research suggests it’s a combination of social media and dedicated pornographic websites. So the public policy