The true effect of online porn: Abuse against schoolgirls soars
By Alex GangitanoFollow @alexgangitano
Easy access to pornography on the internet is causing a rise in schoolgirls experiencing sexual abuse, an MP said yesterday.
Ann Coffey said one third of sixth-form girls have been inappropriately touched by a male peer in the form of groping or manhandling.
''[Pornography] gives them a sense of entitlement, which means they may touch a girl inappropriately and use bullying or coercive behaviour,'' the MP said.
Internet pornography was "distorting teenage boys' views of sex," she added.
A YouGov poll by the End Violence Against Women campaign, which surveyed 800 teenagers, found 40% said they have never been taught about the need for sexual consent.
Parliament was told sex education should be part of the school curriculum so schoolgirls know when abuse is taking place.
''To speak out, first children need to feel confident that what is happening to them is wrong and that is why sex and relationship education in schools is so important," Coffey said.
Twenty-eight per cent of surveyed teenagers said they had seen sexual images on mobile phones 'a few times a month or more' at school.
Seventy-one per cent said they heard sexual name-calling 'daily or a few times a week' at school.
