Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Children's commissioner: Pornography affecting 8-year-olds' behaviour

Children's commissioner: Pornography affecting 8-year-olds' behaviour

The behaviour of children as young as eight is being affected by them viewing pornography, the children's commissioner for England has said.

"Children are seeing pornography too young - most of them by the age of 13 but [some are] seeing it at eight or nine," Dame Rachel De Souza said.

Most children first saw pornography on social media - and technology companies should do more to remove the images.

Schools needed to improve education and parents to set appropriate boundaries.

Dame Rachel has published a report on the influence of pornography on harmful sexual behaviour among children.

"At the most serious end", children were using the language of violent pornography and it was affecting their behaviour, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Children's Commissioner for England Dame Rachel De Souza says the behaviour of eight-year-olds is being affected by them viewing pornography


"Most children see porn first on Twitter - and then on Snapchat, as well as accessing the porn companies," Dame Rachel told Today.

"We need decent age verification, through the Online Safety Bill, but these tech companies could be stepping up now to get these images down."

"If you've got a social-media site that allows 13-pluses on, then they should not be able to see pornography on it."

Both Twitter and Snapchat have a 13-plus age limit.


Adult nudity


A Snapchat official told BBC News: "Our community guidelines make it clear that we prohibit accounts that promote or distribute pornographic content.

"If we find this content, we remove it immediately.

"We also use machine learning to help us detect it and are working constantly to improve these capabilities."

Twitter has been approached for comment.

Its guidelines say: "You can't include graphic content or adult nudity and sexual behaviour within areas that are highly visible on Twitter, including in live video, profile, header, List banner images, or Community cover photos."

They also "restrict specific sensitive media, such as adult nudity and sexual behaviour, for viewers who are under 18 or viewers who do not include a birth date on their profile".


'Violent porn'


The government says the Online Safety Bill will allow regulator Ofcom to block access or fine companies that fail to take more responsibility for users' safety on their social-media platforms.

Dame Rachel said: "It's going through the Lords at the moment - we need it to go through, we need children not to be able to access porn, particularly this violent porn, online."

Men at Work founder Michael Conroy, who trains professionals working with boys and young men to have safer conversations among their peers, said: "In the past 12 months, I've worked with I think about 1,000 teachers, social workers and youth workers.

"And in each of training sessions I asked the question, 'Are the young people you work with impacted by porn?' The majority say, 'Yes, very clearly, definitely.'

"So there is there is an awareness of the issue - but perhaps not of the depth and scale of it.

"This is the first generation ever - it's like a gigantic historical experiment where we've given our children access to anything. But more importantly, perhaps, we've given anything access to our children."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×