More than 40% of children under 12 have watched pornography

More than 40% of children under 12 have watched pornography - and experts say it's turning teenagers into SEX ADDICTS The majority of sex addicts begin experiencing problems before the age of 16, says addiction expert
 

The majority of sex addicts begin experiencing problems before the age of 16, says addiction expert

40% of those questioned had watched porn under the age of 12

Broken homes, single-sex schools and poor sex education also to blame

Almost half of those who suffer with sex addiction first experienced problems before they turned 16, according to a startling new survey.

Easy access to online pornography and poor sex education is largely to blame, said addiction therapist Paula Hall, who produced the study.
 
She argues this is proven by survey results that 40 per cent of teenagers had used pornography before the age of 12 and 90 per cent felt it was to blame for their addiction. 

Easy access: The increase in online porn has been blamed for a rise in sex addiction among teenagers.

The research also suggests that factors such as parental separation, single sex schooling and limited sex education are all contributing factors.

And nearly half of those surveyed had experienced some kind of childhood abuse or assault, indicating this to be a major cause of the condition

Hall’s survey of people with sex addiction, conducted for her new book Understanding and Treating Sex Addiction, looked at the age most people started, what factors led them there, whether they sought help and the consequences of their addictions. 

She defines sex addiction in its simplest terms as: 'a pattern of out-of-control sexual behaviour that causes problems in someone’s life'. 

Russell Brand claimed sex addiction almost ruined his career

The survey also highlights the contrasts between male and female attitudes about sex addiction. 

Substantially more men seek help than women, with 57.3 per cent of men seeking professional help, and only 38.3 per cent of women.  

In women, ‘affirmation and feeling wanted’ was their biggest ‘reward’ for their sexual behaviour, with 80 per cent of them citing this as the reason.

For men, ‘excitement’ was identified as being the biggest reward

But the results also indicate the damaging consequences of sex addictions. 

Sixty-five per cent of those questioned struggled with low self-esteem and almost half experienced mental health problems.  

Nearly half had lost a partner because of their behaviour and a quarter said it had effected their sexual functioning. 

Furthermore, 63 per cent said their sex addiction had wasted time and 42 per cent that they’d wasted money.

When asked what the biggest influence was on their sex addiction, ‘easy access’ and ‘lack of education’ were both cited as more significant than ‘negative’ childhood experiences. 

Watching pornography was also identified as being the most common result of addiction.  

As Hall states: 'The reality of the Western world today is that ‘opportunity’ is everywhere and people, with or without a background of trauma and/or attachment difficulties, can now indulge their sexual desires and run the risk of becoming addicted'. 

She conducted her study through the Relate website and through therapy groups, with 350 people suffering with sex addiction replying. 


The results have been published in her new book, Understanding and Treating Sex Addiction. 
Earlier this year, Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the country's top prosecutor said that teenage relationships are becoming more abusive because of the easy access to internet pornography, expressing his concern about the 'exposure of young people to all sorts of material'.

He admitted there could be a link between the easy access to internet pornography for children and 'emerging research' about increasing violence in teenage relationships.

SIGNS OF SEX ADDICTION

Dr Patrick Carnes, one of the world's leading experts in sexual addiction, suggests there are various possible warning signs:
Feeling that your behaviour is out of control
Feeling unable to stop your behaviour, in spite of knowing the consequences
Persistently pursuing destructive and/or high risk activities
Using sexual fantasies as a way of coping with difficult feelings or situations
Needing more sexual activity in order to experience the same level of high
Suffering from intense mood swings around sexual activity
Spending more time either planning, engaging in or regretting and recovering from sexual activities
Neglecting important social, occupational or recreational activities in favour of sexual behaviour

Sexting: Girls think it's harmless flirting – sex ed is missing the target

As an investigation reveals the brutal truth of sexting – sending naked photos on mobile phones – among teenagers, Cathy Newman argues that school sex education should improve dramatically. 

The research found teenagers were becoming sexualised at an earlier age because many were able to see pornography online

As a parent, there are some realities you'd rather not face up to. "Sexting" is one of them. I was vaguely familiar with the term, but after a Channel 4 News investigation the brutal truth of what and how widespread it is has been brought home to me.

For six months, we've teamed up with the NSPCC to speak to children between the ages of 13 and 16. What we found will shock every parent.

"I get asked for naked pictures ... at least two or three times a week," one 15 year old girl told us. A boy the same age said: "You would have seen a girl's breasts before you've seen their face."

Welcome to the world of "sexting" – sending naked photos on mobile phones. A world that many teenagers inhabit on a daily basis. 
 

Professor Andy Phippen from Plymouth University carried out the research for the NSPCC, and told us: "This is mainstream, this is normal, this is almost mundane for some of the people we spoke to."

Girls we spoke to seemed to think sexting was just flirting – no different to the harmless fun previous generations indulged in.

But if your instinct as a parent is to bury your head in the sand and hope this is a craze which your own children will escape, perhaps it's time to think again.

Children say they have no one to turn to for advice because their parents – outwitted by technology, and struggling to juggle work and home life – don't really know what's going on.

And school sex education is totally missing the target. Every child we spoke to said it was out-of-touch, irrelevant and too little too late. Boys end up turning to porn to teach them what they think they need to know.

Jon Brown from the NSPCC is clear what's needed: "Good quality sex education is absolutely critical. It needs to start actually in primary school. It needs to be age-appropriate if we are able to help them navigate their way through these pressures."

A Department for Education spokesman this morning told me that all schools are encouraged to provide children with a "good education about sex and healthy relationships".

“We are currently reviewing personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education to establish how this teaching can be improved," he said.

I remember when I was pregnant with my youngest daughter I went to the local book shop to get a book for my eldest – then four and a half – about how her baby sister got there. I imagined a quaint little volume about seeds and storks and love would do the trick.

Instead the nice lady behind the counter suggested a smart cartoon book which featured all sorts of different sexual positions mum and dad may or may not have enjoyed to "make" the baby.
I ran a mile and ended up buying a book about a little mouse who was jealous of her new sibling. My eldest daughter never liked it.

I now wonder if I should have opted for the savvy cartoon after all.

Because unless we all talk to our kids about what lies ahead, those pressures and dangers will end up rearing their heads before we've had that conversation (or preferably more than one conversation). And then children will end up facing up to it on their own, when they most need our help and support.

Hong Kong should focus on sex education as a matter of good health

Hong Kong should focus on sex education as a matter of good health.

The public is up in arms about mainland mothers giving birth here, but is largely oblivious to a flood of young Hong Kong women and girls travelling across the border for the termination of unwanted pregnancies in substandard conditions. That unawareness is reflected in the relative indifference to the recent closure of Hong Kong Central Hospital, which performed an estimated 40 per cent of the city's clinical abortions.

The demand for terminations highlights a lack of sex information and education at home and school. In our conservative society, sex remains an awkward subject. Young people are often left to learn by themselves. Sadly, for many, this leads ultimately to hospitals over the border for affordable or discreet terminations, with a higher risk of infection, infertility, trauma and post-abortion emotional stress without psychological support. The reasons include our public hospitals' strict criteria and reluctance to provide abortions, high prices at private hospitals and the Family Planning Association's restriction of abortions to early-term pregnancies.

A drop of nearly 50 per cent in legal terminations in the decade to 2010 does reflect better awareness of contraception as well as the growing cross-border trade and resort to backyard clinics. However, a study commissioned by Mother's Choice, a non-government support organisation for pregnant girls, indicates that about 7,000, mostly from poor or broken families, face "crisis" pregnancies every year. Ignorance of sex issues is major factor, due to a lack of communication at home, reticence among teachers and a not-very-useful clinical hour of secondary school sex education. This leaves students to learn from each other and the internet. One of the many misconceptions unearthed by the Mother's Choice study was that girls cannot become pregnant from having sex for the first time.

Moral and sex education is ultimately the prerogative of parents. But lack of information leading to unwanted pregnancies can also have serious educational, health and financial consequences. Given Hong Kong's social conservatism, New York's answer - handing out contraceptives in public schools - is not an option. The government and non-government organisations should co-ordinate a campaign to promote the benefits of proper education at home and at school on healthy sex practices.

Porn company Kink.com offers sex ed with porn stars

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Students want sex education earlier

High school students say they are not getting sex education soon enough and want topics such as puberty and pregnancy discussed in primary school, a Victorian study has found.

Yet a study by the same researchers found most teachers of year five and six students were uncomfortable talking about the reproductive system in sex education class. More than half year 7, 8 and 9 students think almost all aspects of sex education topics should be introduced in primary school, the survey of about 100 students in Ballarat found.

''Across the board they wanted information much, much earlier than they were getting it,'' researcher Bernadette Duffy said. "I think that they should be at least being taught about [puberty] in grade 3 and 4. Some of them wanted information so they knew what was being talked about when they got to high school.''
The study was one of three from the same researchers at the University of Ballarat on sex education presented at an education conference at the University of Sydney on Monday.

Another study of about 30 year 5 and 6 teachers from 14 schools in Ballarat found five out of six male teachers and a third of female teachers were not comfortable teaching about menstruation. Almost half the female teachers were not confident talking about wet dreams, while even more male teachers found the topic uncomfortable.

The researchers said the results were significant given the national curriculum expects all students to have a knowledge of these areas before high school.

"I was really surprised by the level of discomfort with the teachers," Ms Duffy said. "Some of these topics come up in everyday conversation, so it's not things that just come up when they're running a program."
In October Fairfax Media reported that the Australian curriculum authority would introduce sex education in grades 5 and 6, but not in grades 3 and 4, as earlier recommended.

Communication barriers in sex education put deaf people at risk

A lack of resources in sex education for young, deaf people is leaving many without the knowledge or skills to keep safe and recognise healthy sexual relationships

Charity Deafax says deaf people's lives are being put at 'extreme risk' when it comes to sex education because their communication needs are not being addressed.

 

There is a telling moment in a documentary called Snapshot: Dicing with Sex when a group of young deaf people are shown cards with different words on them. They all instantly recognise the words Facebook, Wii and YouTube, but the words syphilis, genital warts and hepatitis ABC are met with blank expressions.
Broadcast in sign language on digital TV in 2010, the documentary revealed a remarkably uninformed attitude to sex, with several young deaf people saying they preferred not to use condoms, despite experiencing sexually transmitted infection (STIs) or pregnancy.

The charity Deafax says deaf people's lives are being put at "extreme risk" when it comes to sex education because their communication needs are not being addressed.

A survey for the charity's Education & Advice on Relationships & Sex  (Ears) campaign found 35% of deaf people received no sex education at all while at school. Everyone else surveyed – 65% of respondents – said that what information they did get was inaccessible. As a result, they often found out about sex through the media, talking to their friends, or direct sexual experience.

A deaf BBC journalist who spent years working on See Hear, the series for deaf people, told me about a conversation that shocked him while researching a programme on sexual health. A deaf woman said: "I'm on the pill so I won't get pregnant. Simple." When he asked her about avoiding an STI, she said: "The pill stops everything. I don't want a baby now." The possibility of getting an STI wasn't even part of her thinking.

In one of the most horrific stories collected as part of the survey, a teenage mother explained how she was raped and then had men coming to her door asking for sex. She presumed that this was simply "what I was supposed to do".

Nearly half of those who responded were sign language users, and 70% profoundly deaf.

Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq, a Deafax sex education trainer, says many communication support workers – who support deaf students in education – do not have a sufficiently high level of sign language to enable them to convey the information, and lessons are often designed to give the basics without using graphics and images that would make sense of the information for students who communicate in a visual language.
Aurangzeb-Tariq, who is deaf, adds: "It concerns me that [my deaf students] feel they 'know' things but it's mainly from gossip and the media."

But schools shouldn't bear the responsibility for sex education alone, she says: "We really need parents to have a sign vocabulary on the subject – it would reduce so many barriers to emotional development."
More than half of those surveyed for the Ears campaign attended a deaf school. But issues with sex education also affect deaf children in mainstream schools, many of whom are regularly visited by a Teacher of the Deaf (ToD).

Deaf teenager Ni Gallant, who is a member of the National Deaf Children's Society's youth advisory board, says that some deaf children who attend the youth group she runs in Worcestershire miss sex education classes because they meet their ToD while the rest of their class have personal and social education lessons. And what sex education they do receive is often taught using videos without subtitles. "The rest of the lessons are spent doing group work or group discussion which [due to her deafness] I personally find a nightmare," she says.

Research by the University of Manchester in 2009 identified other issues with ToDs. Professor Wendy McCracken says that among the themes that emerge was embarrassment "for both the deaf child and the ToD, especially where signs were used as they were graphic and drew attention to the deaf child". Furthermore, ToDs lacked specialist training in sex education and felt there was insufficient time to cover the subject. Training materials were also seen as not being deaf friendly.

The consequences of missing out on sexual education can be far-reaching. The charity SignHealth DeafHope recently set up a service called to support deaf women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. SignHealth's Rowena Dean says that because of missing out on information, deaf people "may have less 'socialisation' of sexual relationships" and as a result may not be as well equipped to recognise an unhealthy sexual relationship.

The importance of being given the language to articulate sex and relationships is backed by the NSPCC, which says: "Deaf children may be more vulnerable because they don't have sufficient communication skills or vocabulary to describe what is happening to them."

With the risk of STIs, unwanted pregnancies or even abuse, communication barriers to sex education have the potential to have a huge impact on deaf lives, yet resources aimed at addressing this gap remain incredibly thin on the ground. Deafax has created a sexual health package with an emphasis on visual communication, while the charity Deafway recently set up a website called Deaf Lizards providing information in British Sign Language and English for young deaf people. But it's clear that much more needs to be done.

Burma Gets First ‘Sex Education’ Magazine

A man reads a copy of Nhyot in Rangoon

Many previously taboo subjects are now being brazenly embraced in Burma, although some changes are only emerging step-by-step in the traditionally conservative society.

Beautiful models clad in revealing dresses can be found in today’s domestic journals and magazines according to so-called “international standards,” and readers can even study erotic issues under the guise of “sex education” thanks to a ground-breaking magazine.

Nhyot, roughly translated as “Allure” in Burmese, is a new publication which boasts erotic images from cover to back. Advertisements for the publication have caused a storm in Burma as well as on social media such as Facebook.

Oo Swe, the editor-in-chief of Nhyot, told The Irrawaddy that topics in his magazine are presented from a health point of view, aiming to prevent unwanted diseases from sexual encounters.

“People in this country don’t know about sex education even after they have grown up,” he said. “In other countries in the world, it has been included in school curricula and people have known about it since they were in primary school.

“Lack of knowledge can unwittingly bring sexually transmitted diseases, which can then be infected in partners. Such problems will have an impact from the family to the national level. This is the idea behind the publication of Nhyot. Articles in the magazine are written from a clinical point of view and carefully supervised.”

Nhyot first hit shelves on Nov. 27 with new issues available in the last week of each month. The owner of a bookshop on Rangoon’s 32nd Street told The Irrawaddy that the attractive magazine has been a hit from day one.

“A lot of buyers, mostly boys, came to my shop to look for Nhyot,” he said. “The price is 3,000 kyat [US $3.50].”

Articles with titles such as “Secrets of the bedroom,” “Will you be in the arms of everyone” and “What men hate about women” seem to deliberately cater for men. And there is also a Q&A section that includes in-depth discussion of sexual topics.

Indeed, the disclaimer “Minors are prohibited” on the cover appears to be enticing a larger readership.
“There has been no such warning in Burma before,” said Oo Swe. “But there are actually many issues, including those related to love, in current magazines and other publications, which minors should not read. I put the warning because my magazine only features issues for adults.”

The pioneering editor explained that literature regarding sex education has existed in the country for a long time with writers such as Dr. Maung Maung Nyo and Dr. Nan Ohnmar covering the subject in their books, although Nhyot is the first magazine of its kind.

A young female reader told The Irrawaddy that Nhyot is interesting although the article titles are very lewd and price high for a newly-published magazine.

“As our country has opened up and enjoys more freedom, such magazines will be published eventually. We can’t stop them,” she said. “We will be able to gain knowledge through this kind of magazine.”

Nhyot, however, has not had a smooth arrival as many conservative people in Burma even complain about advertisements for women’s menstrual hygiene products and men’s potency drugs. The magazine has encountered some quandaries using photos to match with its written content.

“No censor has been applied to us but I won’t publish a magazine like Playboy because we have to pay attention to our culture,” said Oo Swe. “We have carefully taken all the photos ourselves.”

He added that publications on sex education should be readily available in the country to encourage people to be more open about reproductive health.

The end of Nhyot’s first edition editorial reads, “Love and sex are like Kyut-Kyut-Ate [non-recyclable plastic bags]. They are essential but can also bring negative impacts if we don’t use them with discipline. In order to apply them properly, this magazine presents sex education in combination with entertainment.”

Talking to your teen about sex (Sex education)

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The Sex Education Show

Sex Ed Pamphlet Sparks Uproar in Austria

How far is too far when it comes to sex ed? These dolls are used to instruct children in Japan.

How much do children need to know about sexuality? A new brochure has Austrians debating exactly that question. Critics say the booklet goes too far in presenting alternative lifestyles, but its publisher counters that it is just an honest reflection of current realities.
 
Last week, China Central Television performed a provocative experiment. Reporters took cameras into the streets and stopped passers-by to ask them such intimate questions as: "How did you come into this world?" 

For those who believe in the value of sex education, the responses were not particularly encouraging. One woman said her mother told her she was found on a pile of stones. A man said he had been told that he jumped from beneath a rock while his mother was herding goats. A university student told CCTV that she had long believed she had sprung from her mother's armpit. Unsurprisingly, the show elicited widespread demands for more sex ed in public schools.

Still, on the other end of the intimacy-instruction spectrum is the question: How much do children really need to know? It is a question that has gripped Austria in recent weeks. There, a brochure for educators on the topic of sex education has triggered heated protest from those who say that it goes way too far.

The brochure, called "Ganz schön intim" ("Really Quite Intimate"), is a 152-page, rather tamely illustrated publication designed to prepare teachers to instruct school children on sexuality. But it also includes detailed written information on masturbation, homosexuality and intersexuality, the term denoting those born with biological characteristics of both genders.

A Bit Too Challenging
The brochure aims to teach children to speak openly about sexuality and learn to identify their own limits. "First and foremost, good material for sexual education should not merely cement the status quo. It should surprise, inspire and challenge," write the booklet's creators, from the group Selbstlaut, which seeks to combat sexual abuse and violence. The Austrian government hired the group to develop the publication.

In conservative Austria, however, there are many who find the brochure a bit too challenging. The conservative Austrian Freedom Party and the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria called it "disturbing" and "a discredit to the so-called core family" during a debate in Austria's parliament, saying they had received several calls from concerned parents. Catholic groups have also called for the publication to be withdrawn. Critics have said it equates "traditional" heterosexual relationships with same-sex partnerships and is an attack on family values.

Perhaps more legally relevant, though, some have also pointed out that the brochure presents the use of sperm banks and surrogacy as possible solutions for child-bearing, although both are illegal in Austria.

Embarrassing Questions

Still, the government in Vienna and the pamphlet's producers have shown themselves to be largely unmoved by the brouhaha. "Conservatives and the right wing have always viewed sexual education with suspicion," said Green party member Harald Walser, adding that it is an important step in fighting the sexual abuse of children. "Children find it easier to talk about their own experiences if they are used to confronting adults with embarrassing questions or difficult feelings," he said. Other groups have also come forward this week to defend the brochure, saying that it merely reflects the realities of today's society. "The whole thing is very user-friendly and practicable," says Olaf Kapella of the Austrian Institute for Family Research at the University of Vienna. He added that teachers in the country are often not trained to give sexual education in schools, making a brochure like "Ganz schön intim" particularly useful and necessary.

For the moment, it seems unlikely that conservatives will succeed in getting the booklet withdrawn. But it may be slightly revised. Kapella noted that a couple of improvements could be made, particularly when it comes to describing where children come from. The list, he notes, begins with adoption, "and is in alphabetical order." He suggests that it might be better to weight the list toward biology.