An alarming new study reveals that exposure to pornography among UK children is rising at a disturbing rate, with profound consequences for their development and understanding of healthy relationships.
The Shocking Statistics
The Children's Commissioner for England has found that 70% of young people surveyed had viewed pornography before reaching 18 years old. This marks a significant increase from 64% just last year in 2023. Even more concerning, a quarter of those asked had encountered explicit content by the tender age of 11, with social media platforms becoming a major source of accidental exposure.
This research highlights a growing public health concern, demonstrating that cases like that of CBBC presenter Ore Oduba are far from isolated. The 39-year-old recently revealed his 30-year struggle with porn addiction, having first viewed explicit material at just nine years old.
Amelia's Story: From Childhood Exposure to Teenage Pregnancy
Amelia Delgado, a 21-year-old actor from South Woodford in East London, represents the human face behind these stark statistics. Her first encounter with pornography happened at just eight years old when a pop-up for lesbian porn appeared while she was searching for a film on a pirate website using a laptop intended for homework.
"I watched it a lot, including the really hardcore stuff," Amelia confesses. The initial exposure quickly developed into a daily habit. "It felt good, and was new and exciting. I didn't know it was wrong," she explains, until she mentioned it to her sister months later, which led to her parents discovering her habit and instructing her to stop.
The damage, however, was already taking root. At age 13, a boyfriend reintroduced pornography to her life with devastating effects on her body image and perception of intimacy.
"He'd tell me to watch 'deflowering' videos, women losing their virginity, so I could understand the pain I would feel," she reveals. "We had sex for the first time soon after."
Amelia began comparing herself unfavourably to the performers she saw, struggling with her weight and worrying about the size and shape of her breasts and intimate parts. She now regrets having sex so young, acknowledging she simply wasn't ready. "Why did I let myself do that at such a young age? Porn has to have played a part," she reflects.
The consequences escalated when Amelia fell pregnant at 15. Her traditional family supported her through the termination, but the experience left lasting emotional scars. "Like any parents, they were cautious of my behaviour and who I chose to be with," she says of her family's concerns about her partner at the time. "And to be honest, they were right."
Healing and Recovery in Adulthood
Amelia's life turned around in 2022 when she met her current boyfriend, Connor, a 23-year-old children's sports coach, on TikTok.
"My relationship with my current partner has been really healing," she shares. "With previous partners, sex was something you just 'had' to do. But in my relationship now, it's something we do because we love each other."
Her transformation has been remarkable. Where she once insisted on having the lights off during sex due to insecurity, she now feels comfortable and vulnerable with Connor. More importantly, she has stopped mimicking the exaggerated performances she witnessed in pornography.
"I would copy what I saw - moaning, like the women I'd seen on porn, very over-exaggerated, which was unhealthy," she admits. "Watching porn gave me the idea that sex was performance, rather than intimacy. That's gone now for me, thankfully."
Amelia now maintains a balanced perspective, acknowledging that "porn can be a healthy tool in a relationship" when viewed responsibly by adults, but emphasising that "absolutely no child should be exposed to it - your mind is still developing."
Expert Warnings and Protective Measures
Child protection experts echo Amelia's concerns about early exposure. Emma Motherwell from the NSPCC advises parents to "be curious, rather than furious" and watch for unexplained behavioural changes in children, such as becoming withdrawn or more secretive about their online activities.
Cat Etherington, Director of Recovery at Naked Truth, warns that early exposure can lead to hypersexualised behaviour, anxiety, nightmares, and intrusive imagery. Potential impacts include "confusion, shame; unrealistic scripts about bodies, consent, and intimacy; and desensitisation to violence if the content is degrading."
Parenting expert Kirsty Ketley adds that viewing pornography young can "affect a child's emotional development, shaping unrealistic expectations of intimacy and body image" and may lead to "shame, secrecy and anxiety" that impacts future relationships.
Amelia is now involved in LADbible's For F**k's Sake campaign, which partners with organisations including Fumble, Movember, Pivotal, and Jordan Stephens to bridge the gap between pornography and real-life sex. She hopes that by sharing her story, she can encourage more women to join conversations about pornography.
"I'm speaking out for women everywhere," she states. "Often it's only men who talk about porn and sex. Women don't feel brave enough to talk about it - that needs to change."
