London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 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

0:00
0:00
Close
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
×