Some consequences of pornography
If someone watches porn, they could develop unrealistic expectations.
Some people might start treating their sexual partner like somebody in a porn film, and expect them to do the things they’ve seen that don’t happen in real life. This can make their partner feel pressured to look or act in a certain way and even be physically harmed. These are signs of an abusive relationship.
Even without pressure from a partner, learning about sex from porn may make people think they have to look and act in an unrealistic way. They may feel pressured into doing things they don’t want to, thinking it would make them a good girlfriend or boyfriend. If you’re affected by this you can get advice here.
Some people who watch a lot of porn become addicted to it and worry about the effect this is having on their lives. You can get more information and support here.
Is porn legal to watch?
Most porn isn’t illegal to watch or share, but some types of porn are illegal and you could get into serious trouble with the law. For example:
- Degrading porn, which can include things like someone humiliating another person.
- Violent porn, includes scenes of rape or sexual assault.
- Revenge porn, when people post or share pictures or videos that they took privately with, or received from a partner to humiliate them and have a negative impact on their lives.
- It’s illegal to have, share or look at indecent or sexual images of children. Even if the images show people of a similar age to you, and you think they have given you permission to look at it, if they’re under the age of 18, it’s illegal.
Visit Childline’s website to get more information, and if you’re over 14 years old, visit this section of the Thinkuknow site.