What do you think? Talking to young people about pornography

Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre has produced a new resource on pornography in partnership with young people, for those working with young people in schools or a youth work setting. 'What Do You Think?' aims to help navigate the wider conversations about the harm caused by pornography and the role it plays in reinforcing harmful messages about gender and gender-based violence. We will be launching this resource online on Safer Internet Day (11 February 2020).

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There is a growing concern about the content, availability, and impact of pornography on young people and wider society today. Agencies like ChildLine are reporting an increase in the number of counselling sessions where young people specifically mentioned concerns around online pornography or websites containing harmful content. At the same time, many young people have reported feeling ill equipped or unprepared by the education they have received on sex and relationships to navigate issues like consent, healthy relationships, and pornography.

Multiple research studies have discovered links between accessing pornography and holding unrealistic attitudes to sex and relationships; believing women are objects just there for sex; and less progressive/ more sexist attitudes towards gender roles (how men and women are supposed to look and behave). Research into the content of popular mainstream pornography found that the vast majority (88%) of scenes featured violence and aggression towards women, including choking and slapping. Despite this, research suggests that many young people are turning to pornography to gather information about sex, with as many as 71% recognising it as a ‘standard part’ of young people’s lives.

We recognise that content featured in online pornography stems from wider gender inequality, and plays a role in exacerbating it by reinforcing harmful messages about gender and gender-based violence, as well as other forms of oppression such as racism, homophobia and transphobia. It’s important, then, to make sure that we engage with this wider context in our discussions about pornography with young people, rather than to focus on it as a problem centred in technology.

We have produced the ‘What Do You Think?’ resource has been produced with this context in mind, and is designed in partnership with young people for young people. It contains a series of session plans for groups of varying sizes and can be used in a youth work setting or within a single or double school PSE lesson. There are also suggestions for tailoring the sessions for a 1:1 setting if required. The resource provides a facilitation guide, powerpoint slides, lesson plans and various teaching resources as well as sample questions to help facilitators initiate and continue discussions. Through conversations and education, we hope to be able to help young people navigate the confusing and often harmful messages put out by pornography and wider society, and challenge such messages.

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To find out more visit www.ercc.scot from 11 February, or for support contact the national Rape Crisis Scotland helpline: Freephone 6pm - midnight on 08088 01 03 02.