London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 21, 2026

Pornography causing backward step in boys' respect for girls, say victims and teachers

Pornography causing backward step in boys' respect for girls, say victims and teachers

Messaging apps like Snapchat see girls sent abusive messages by boys of their age, and they feel unable to report them.

A woman who was sexually abused and raped as a child has waived her right to anonymity to speak out against the harmful affects of easily-accessible pornography.

Dandy Doherty says she was sexually abused at the age of 11 and raped at the age of 15 - and that her abusers were the same age as her.

She is one of many to contribute to the website Everyone's Invited, but she's waived her anonymity because she feels inaction by schools and parents has "trickled down" to create an abuse culture.

Everyone's Invited - testimonies uploaded to the site have prompted multiple police reports of abuse


More than 14,000 allegations have now been made by school pupils on the website, which is gathering testimonies of sexual violence and abuse.

"Consent needs to be talked about from very young age," says Dandy.

"Pornography needs to be talked about from a very young age.

"It's not inappropriate to talk to a 10-year-old about sex, it's inappropriate for a 10-year-old to be watching fake sex online and thinking that that's what's normal.

"That's the bad part. It shouldn't be uncomfortable to have this conversation."

"I was sexually assaulted, for the first time at 11 ,12, 13 by boys aged 11, and 12 and 13," she continues.

"I didn't say anything about that at the time, I didn't have the words for it. I didn't understand it.

"I didn't know that sexual assault was a thing - after I was raped, I looked it up."

On Thursday, the National Education Union (NEU) debated the issue at its virtual annual conference.

General secretary of the NEU Mary Bousted told Sky News the behaviour of schoolchildren has been "corrupted" and "gone back" due to social media and access to pornography.

She said: "It's become 'that's the way things are', and teachers in our service said they were unsure about how to deal with it and 'if I stopped and dealt with it all the time, I would never get any teaching done'.

"So, we need a national programme to help schools tackle this behaviour."

Dr Bousted added: "I think we've gone back in this respect.

"I think the way girls are treated on social media, I think the fact that so many boys watch porn, that really has corrupted the way boys and girls think about each other.

"It's lowered girls' expectations for how they should be treated by boys and its enabled too many boys to think that girls are just objects."


Pupils themselves are now asking questions about when behaviour crosses from natural sexual curiosity into abuse.

The landscape of interaction is ever-changing. Schools and parents are struggling to keep up with new forms of communication online.

A new Instagram account called Screen Grab Them invites victims to post abusive texts and Snapchats they have received, which show that all too often, the harassment is blatant.

The messages include threats of rape, often when a boy's advances are turned down.

There are also derogatory conversations.

In one, a girl is told: "Love I'm afraid to say it, but no-one is gonna rape u."

She replies asking: "Are you literally saying that I would be privileged for someone to rape me?"

He says: "No - you would be lucky."

Abusive messages of this kind are shared on many social media apps popular with youngsters


Ofsted has announced it will visit "a sample of schools and colleges where cases have been highlighted" as part of its emergency review.

Ofsted chief executive Amanda Spielman told Sky News: "I have such a big concern about the fact that so many of these young people have felt unable to tell their school what's been happening to them.

"We need to understand these disincentives to reporting because many of these schools think that they have good routes - people that children can trust who they can talk to - and yet somehow, it's not, it's not always adding up.

"So how do we make sure the pieces add up to something that gives young people the confidence to report and to talk about these things."

Young women like Dandy hope that by recounting their darkest childhood memories, tomorrow's children won't have to experience what they did.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Judge Pauses Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery Merger Over Antitrust Concerns
NHS England Faces Growing Retention Pressure Among Younger Midwives
UK Data Centre Expansion Faces Water and Grid Capacity Challenges
UK Defence Shares Rise After John Healey Appointment and Continued Spending Commitments
OECD Urges UK Government to Review Pension Triple Lock to Protect Public Finances
Bank of England Keeps Cautious Approach as Energy Costs Threaten Inflation Progress
County Councils Call for Wider Devolution and Long-Term Social Care Funding Reform
IMF Urges UK Government to Maintain Fiscal Discipline as Growth Forecast Slows
Russian Warship Holds Live-Fire Exercises Near UK Coast as Royal Navy Monitors Activity
Mitie Agrees Three Point One Billion Pound Takeover by OCS in Another Blow to London Listings
JPMorgan Chase Warns Bank Levies Could Hit UK Growth and Drive Capital Away
UK Unemployment Holds at Four Point Nine Percent as Labour Market Shows Resilience
UK Government Borrowing Falls Below Forecasts as Treasury Receives Early Fiscal Boost
John Healey Cuts VAT on Household Electricity Bills After Cancelling National Digital ID Scheme
Andy Burnham Forms New Labour Government With Ten-Year National Renewal Plan
EU Imposes Record €550 Million Digital Services Fine on AliExpress
UK Publishes Updated Consumption-Based Carbon Emissions Data
English Regions Prepare for Expanded Devolution and Infrastructure Powers
Russell Group Backs New Government and Calls for Stronger University-Industry Links
Bank of England Maintains Restrictive Monetary Policy Amid Persistent Inflation
Climate Progress Report Renews Debate Over the UK's Net Zero Strategy
New UK Government Launches Drive to End Rough Sleeping and Expand Social Housing
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Appoints John Healey as Chancellor in Cabinet Reshuffle
OECD Calls for Structural Reforms as UK Economy Faces Slower Growth
International Monetary Fund Expects UK Economic Growth to Slow to One Percent in 2026
Andy Burnham Takes Office as UK Prime Minister and Unveils Decade-Long Reform Agenda
London’s Housing Starts Collapse as Planning and Building Costs Stall Development
Charlie Sheen’s Daughter: "My Dad Didn’t Buy Me a House, My Breasts Bought It"
Vivienne Westwood Casts Cicciolina, 74, in Its New Autumn Campaign
Dejavu: Germany’s Military Expansion Reshapes Europe’s Strategic Balance With France
Naturally Conceived Identical Quadruplets Born in Rare Brisbane Delivery
Tate Brothers Fight British Extradition Bid After Miami Arrests
Burnham Reshapes Britain’s Government Around Living Costs, Devolution and Security
Jingye Demands Full Compensation After Britain illegally Nationalized British Steel
Just Another Liar or a Robin Hood? Andy Burnham Pledges Cost-of-Living Help in First Speech as UK Prime Minister
Morgan Stanley Builds a Wall Street Lead in AI Infrastructure Finance
High Prices Push Coffee Drinkers Toward Whole Beans and Home Brewing
Trump Draws Boos and Podium Scrutiny at Spain’s World Cup Triumph
Brilliant move: Péter Magyar Moves to Nominate Chess Grandmaster Judit Polgár as Hungary’s President
Spain Defeats Argentina in Extra Time to Win Second World Cup
Police Block Cockroach Janta Party’s March to Parliament as Education Protests Intensify
Current AI Seeks to Build an Open Global AI Infrastructure Outside Big Tech Control
Turkey Explores S-400 Transfer to UAE in Bid to Rejoin F-35 Program
Josh Kerr Breaks Twenty-Seven-Year World Mile Record at London Diamond League
Thames Water Crisis Deepens as South East Water Outages Hit Thousands in Kent
EU Ban on Destroying Unsold Clothing Forces British Fashion Brands to Change Operations
UK Government Confirms Existing North Sea Oil and Gas Licences Will Be Honoured
UK Covid Inquiry Finds Nearly Ten Billion Pounds Lost in Pandemic Protective Equipment Procurement
Thames Water Moves Toward Possible Temporary Nationalisation Amid Rescue Plan Dispute
Andy Burnham Cancels One Point Eight Billion Pound Digital ID Programme After Taking Office
×