Online porn

Watching porn is a choice, and whether you choose to watch it or not is completely normal. Only you can decide if watching porn is something you feel comfortable about.

If you’re not sure if you should watch porn, think about:

• How porn makes you feel
  If porn makes you feel upset or uncomfortable but you still want to watch it, then it’s important to get support with how you feel. If you’re not sure who to ask, why not try Ask Sam.
• If you feel pressured
  Watching porn should always be your decision and nobody has the right to pressure you to watch it.
• Whether it affects other parts of your life
  If porn is stopping you from spending time with friends, family or enjoying other things then it can help to take a break from watching it.

Finding out someone else watches porn

Finding out that someone you care about watches porn can be shocking sometimes, especially if it’s a family member or someone you’re in a relationship with.

You might worry that you don’t know them as well anymore, but someone watching porn doesn’t always mean that they’re different as a person. 

If you’re worried about what they’ve seen, it can help to talk to a Childline counsellor for support.

Comparing yourself to people you see on porn might make you worry about your body. But vaginas, penises, breasts and other body parts come in different shapes and sizes.

Being different to what you see on porn doesn’t mean that you’re better or worse than what you’ve seen.

If watching porn is affecting how you feel about your body, try:

• reading our tips on building confidence and self-esteem
• reminding yourself that lots of porn has been adjusted or airbrushed so isn’t real
• making a list of the things you like about yourself, you could do this on your own or with someone you trust
• limiting the amount of porn you watch and how often you watch it
• asking for advice from other young people on our message boards.

People can find lots of things arousing, especially as they’re getting older. But sometimes finding something arousing can make you feel confused about your sexuality or guilty about what you’ve watched.

There is nothing wrong with watching legal pornography or having fantasies. And you might be aroused by people or things that you wouldn’t normally be attracted to.

If you’re worried about your sexuality, it can help to talk to other young people on the message boards, or get support from an adult you trust.

It's never okay to watch illegal pornography or to hurt other people. If you've seen something illegal online, or you've seen something that upset or worried you, it's important to talk to an adult you trust or get support from our counsellors.

You might want to copy what you see in porn, but it does not show what sex is like in real life. It can help to remember that:

• sex can sometimes be awkward, and people don’t always enjoy it or orgasm
• lots of things you see in porn make people uncomfortable in real life, like men ejaculating (coming) on someone’s face
• sex should always be consensual, which means that everyone involved understands what's happening and wants to do it
• unprotected sex risks sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy
• sometimes people find sex painful, and it’s important to stop any time someone says to or isn’t comfortable
• pubic and other body hair is natural, and it’s always your choice if you trim or shave it
• being forced to have sex is rape and this is always wrong.

It's illegal to send a sexual image of anyone who's under the age of 18, even if it's of you. It's also illegal to send a nude to anyone to who's under 18 years old.

It's important to remember that laws around sexting are there to keep you safe. Find out more about sexting and the law.

Watching porn when you’re under 18 isn’t against the law and you shouldn’t have to feel worried or ashamed about it. You won’t get in trouble if you watch it yourself.

It is illegal for someone to show you porn or give you access to it if you’re under 16. If you’re ever worried about what someone has shared with you, you can talk to Childline.

Some porn is illegal

(explicit language warning)

Not all porn is legal. It’s illegal for anyone to watch porn involving:

• nude videos or images of under 18s or anything involving under 18s doing something sexual, including sexting
• scenes of rape, even if people are just pretending
• sexual acts with animals or dead people
• anything that might put someone’s life in danger, or risk hurting the sexual parts of their body

If you’re not sure whether a link or something you’ve been sent is legal, make sure you:

• don’t click on it, download it or open it
• close it and delete it if you have opened it
• report any sexual images or videos involving children to the IWF
• don’t share the link with other people
• talk to an adult you trust about what you saw.