Children should be taught about internet pornography in school – because it is giving them ”unrealistic expectations”’ of their future sex lives, new research found.
The study says youngsters are regularly watching web porn from as young as 11 and are addicted to it before they are sexually active.
It then gives them an unrealistic view of sexual relations which leads to problems in the bedroom later in life.
The research found one in three people aged 16-24 find sex with partners difficult because of what they have seen online.
The study has been published by the University of Plymouth and says internet porn gives children ”unrealistic expectations”’ of real sex.
It says teachers should discuss web porn with teenagers in class to help avoid future sexual difficulties.
Professor Andy Phippen, lecturer in Social Responsibility in Information Technology, said more needs to be done to introduce web porn into sex education lessons.
He said: “It’s common practice for kids today to watch internet porn. One thing that clearly came out of it was issues around desensitisation.
“Some people are getting hooked on the porn and then are not able to perform in the real world.
“It can give people unrealistic expectations. It can be very damaging for some people.”
The research surveyed 1,000 young people – with some saying they first watched porn “aged 11 or 12”.
One secondary school pupil, aged 14, told researchers he “couldn’t believe there was anyone in his year who hadn’t seen it”.
Prof Phippen added: “If this is how you first come across this sort of thing that is a concern.
“If you have someone accessing hardcore porn from the age of 12, what’s that going to do to them?”
He said the Government and schools needed to realise that porn was not just for “deviant” youngsters.
Prof Phippen said: “The information gathered will now be used to look at how our education system addresses this issue in schools.
“Pupils have told me that this sort of stuff isn’t covered in their sex education lessons and they want it to be.
“But how do members staff go about something that is this difficult to approach?
That’s something that can hopefully be tackled in the future.”
Relate counsellor Sharon Chapman agreed that porn distorts a person’s view on what a “normal sex life could and should be like”.
She said: “I think it has also made sex more extreme. When you look at a sexual image that is incredibly graphic and exaggerated in terms of sexual performance, it takes away the mystery and the element of experimentation between two people.
“Guys tend to think it’s all about performance, they think they’ve got to be sexual athletes.
“For girls, it’s often about doing things which perhaps they wouldn’t normally be comfortable with. Those are the dilemmas people come to us with.”
Nearly 1,000 young people took part in the survey with the help of the UK Safer Internet Centre.
Not only are the kids getting hooked, but their sexual attitudes are being formed with an avalanche of perversion. Sites as easily accessible as a newspaper are just a click away from sites glorifying s&m, diaper or animal sex. Then the kids become sexually active themselves and want to try out these behaviors. This isn’t a problem just for kids but for husbands wanting to “spice” things up only to find out their wives don’t want butt plugs, handcuffs or sex with the neighbor. Marriages are crashing at record rates due to this plague. I know as I have been there and done that. I finally discovered filters that would put a wall between me and the porn and my kids and the porn.