Survey finds half of teen participants were exposed to porn by the age of 13

Meanwhile, the 44% who admitted that they had intentionally viewed online porn had many who were introduced to porn through friends they meet in online gaming.

Surprisingly, 38% of the teens who viewed porn intentionally did it on social media like TikTok and Instagram, while 44% said they watched it on actual porn websites. 34% used video streaming sites like YouTube, 16% used subscription sites such as OnlyFans, and 18% used live streaming sites.

While 50% of teens did report feeling guilty or ashamed after watching pornography, the majority (67%) said they feel OK about the amount of porn they watch.

Particularly problematic is the fact that nearly half of the teens surveyed thought that online porn provided helpful information about sex, while 27% felt it accurately showed sex.

43% of teenagers reported having talked about pornography with a trusted adult. Of those who had these conversations, most said it motivated them to seek out alternative ways to learn about their sexuality instead of relying on pornography.

“The results of this research confirm a very important point: It’s time for us to talk about pornography. We need to consider conversations with teens about pornography the same way we think of conversations about sex, social media, drug and alcohol use, and more. Kids can and will be exposed to pornography one way or another, often before a caregiver has a chance to tackle the subject,” reads the report.