In her report last week, the children's commissioner for England claimed the next generation is being "raised on a diet of pornography" with "violent and sadistic imagery" at the fingertips of very young children. Maggie Atkinson concludes children who watch porn are more likely to develop sexually risky behaviour and become sexually active at a younger age.
The commissioner urged the Department for Education to ensure all schools include how to use the internet safely in their sex education syllabus.
Her calls come just days after a poll by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) revealed many parents would also like to see schools teach children about the dangers of pornography as soon as they are old enough to go online.
Blogging for the Guardian's Comment is free section, Justin Hancock agrees, saying the traditional model of sex education is outdated and in need of a modern revamp.
"Schools and parents must talk about porn when they talk to young people about sex and relationships," he writes. "This should not alarm people: it is really just another way of doing work on gender, sexuality, body image, safety, sexual norms, consent, arousal, desire, pleasure, power, lust, love and relationships – we should be talking about all this anyway."
But what do you think? Should pornography be included in the sex education curriculum? If so, what should be covered in lessons? And at what age should children be taught about the subject?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
