Children aged five and under are being exposed to pornography online, leading to addiction, Sky News has learned.
Warning: This article contains details you might find distressing
Research carried out and shared by the charity Dignify shows that the age of children seeing sexual content on the internet is getting younger.
The organisation, which works to protect children and young people from the harmful effects of pornography, said children “can’t unsee what they’ve seen”.
The average age of children seeing pornography is 12, according to Dignify.
Nicola Lee, from the charity, told Sky News that when delving “deeper” into their data, they have discovered that some children who first viewed pornography aged five and under are also “reporting addiction to pornography”.
“So it wasn’t just a case of they saw it at that age,” Nicola added, “it actually has developed with them into their older years, and they’re now telling us that they have an addiction.”
One young woman, Shaniah Williams, told Sky News she first saw pornography at just seven years old, after being “exposed to harmful sexual behaviour” when she was six, which prompted “a curiosity” to search online for answers.
She described content being available to her on “certain platforms”, and by the age of eight, she was watching extreme pornography.
By 12 years old, she said she was addicted: “I didn’t understand why I was so low. Consuming more of this material kind of kept me sane… but the thoughts wouldn’t stop every minute of every day. I just wanted it to stop.”
‘I didn’t know humans looked like that’
Despite having restrictions on devices, Shaniah said the material she saw as a child left her terrified and confused, and she subsequently suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts.
“I could look at the kids in the playground and tell you which one had been exposed to it, just due to their language,” she explained.
“I used to wish I could be like the girls who hadn’t. I was in the dark, in a prison of my own making.”
Shaniah is appealing to parents to start conversations with their children.
“It was scary. I didn’t know human beings looked like that,” she said. “I’m a child, I’ve not seen that. I thought someone was killing the other person. I thought it was torture.”
“It took my childhood,” she added, “it’s gone. I’m not getting it back. But it doesn’t mean other children can’t have that. So I beg of you, parents – please. For their sake.”
Children find pornography ‘unintentionally’
According to Dignify’s research, most children find pornography online “unintentionally”, for example sent in a group chat, found through a link from another platform, or shared by a stranger.
“We do have children and young people who are seeing pornography,” Nicola said.
She added: “A third of those who have seen pornography have seen it in primary school. It’s scary, it’s really scary as a parent to think, wow, my child might have seen pornography.
“But they may not have. So that curiosity, we don’t want to spark it.”
Dignify are also encouraging parents to think about “age and developmentally appropriate” conversations around the issue – and have developed a “roadmap” guide to follow.
In the early years, they advise talking about screen use and safety, and where screen use is happening to experience it as a “shared moment”, such as playing games together.
As well as parental controls and privacy settings on devices, Nicola also recommends being in the same room if a child is going to be by themselves on a screen to “understand what they’re looking at”.
‘Exposed within months at secondary school’
The problem, however, is also seemingly widespread in schools.
Flossie, 17, told Sky News she was overwhelmed by the volume and extremity of content circulating among pupils in her secondary school.
“Within the first three months, I was exposed to literally everything on social media – hardcore pornography, violent videos,” she said.
One clip that went viral in her school showed a woman being beheaded. Another involved bestiality.
She said she had no choice in seeing it. “I got off the bus one day, and it was shoved in my face. I was 12. I had to go home from school because it was so disturbing.”
Flossie is now part of a legal challenge calling for smartphones to be banned in UK schools, arguing that children cannot be protected while devices remain in classrooms, playgrounds, or even on the school bus.
“It’s the kids doing this to each other. And the only way it’s going to stop is if they take the phones away. It takes one child in a whole school,” she said.
‘Year 7 pupils will see things they can never unsee’
Will Orr‑Ewing, who is also involved in the challenge, said more than 250 headteachers support a potential judicial review of government guidance.
“If the secretary of state wanted to, it doesn’t require any primary legislation. She can update the guidance, and it could be solved tomorrow,” he said.
He warned that every new school year brings another wave of children at risk: “Every September is a new Year 7 and a large percentage of those children are going to see things they can never unsee.”
Mr Orr-Ewing explained that while most parents support restrictions, a “vocal minority” believe smartphones keep children safe – something he called “a myth”.
“The evidence is that the vast majority of harms come through the smartphone. Parents think they’re keeping their kids safe, but they are sadly making them more in danger by giving them a smartphone,” he said.
Read more from Sky News:
UK snow warnings upgraded
Children to be vaccinated at home
Follow our channel and never miss an update.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We support headteachers to take the necessary steps to prevent disruption, backed by our clear guidance. Research from the Children’s Commissioner shows 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools already have policies in place restricting the use of mobile phones.
“Through the Online Safety Act, we have taken some of the boldest steps anywhere in the world to ensure children have age-appropriate experiences online, protecting them from harmful content.
“We are striking the right balance: protecting children while ensuring they can safely benefit from the digital world, without risking isolation or cutting off access to vital services, especially to the most vulnerable.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, help and support is available.
You can call Samaritans free on 116 123 anytime day or night. You can also email [email protected] or visit www.samaritans.org to find support online.
