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

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.