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Pro-porn Childline film encouraging kids to google BDSM etc

459 replies

Sunkisses · 07/04/2021 16:20

Jeez, just seen this from the Safe Schools Alliance UK on twitter. Six years ago Childline produced this pro-porn film which is basically an advert for PornHub masquerading as a child protection resource. It tells children that porn is "fun" & recommends genres like BDSM to google. It's had over 3 million views in the last 6 years, and goodness knows how much it has contributed to the rape culture we are now seeing in schools. It is illegal for under 18s to view porn, and children should be taught this and the harms of pornography, not encouraged to view it with a nod, nod, wink, wink attitude.

You can view the Safe Schools Alliance UK tweet here: twitter.com/SafeSchools_UK/status/1379528765261381634

SSAUK are calling on Childline and the NSPCC (who run Childline) to take this film down.

The Government should bring in age-verification for online porn ASAP to prevent children having easy access to online porn. All the laws have been passed, and the regulatory framework is in place. The Government bottled it at the last minute in 2019 after facing pressure from the powerful porn industry. Our children deserve better.

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Thelnebriati · 07/04/2021 22:17

There is no such thing as 'child porn'. No professional would use the term 'child porn'.

MissBarbary · 07/04/2021 22:17

ASugarr my goodness- you really don't get it ,do you?

Child porn- you mean the filmed sexual abuse of children.

OhHolyJesus · 07/04/2021 22:16

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ANewCreation · 07/04/2021 22:16

If you're blithely wittering about young people 'disclosing' to you, then you're either a fantasist or an active safeguarding risk.

This.

ASugarr · 07/04/2021 22:13

@CorvusPurpureus

Especially child porn. You have to activly seek child pornography so it isn't a common path.

Well, that clarifies things nicely, ASugarr. You're possibly merely clueless, possibly more problematic than that, but definitely an enormous safeguarding liability who shouldn't be working with children, &, to be fair, is unlikely to have 'classes' outside of their overactive imagination.

'Child porn' ?! Seriously?

I'm going to end my time on this discussion here as people clearly disagree. However as someone who works in the field the discussion on these subjects doesn't promote it, it helps young people understand why it is out there and if it is safe for them to be consuming. It happens with all things that can deemed harmful or addicting. Plus it's a great way for young people to feel safe disclosing issues surrounding sex and relationships 🤍
MissBarbary · 07/04/2021 22:13

Especially child porn. You have to activly seek child pornography so it isn't a common path

You teach sexual health yet refer to "child porn"?

You need to educate yourself.

Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 07/04/2021 22:12

I've cancelled my monthly subscription to Childline which makes me feel sad. However, they will never stop this nonsense until their pockets are hit.

ASugarr · 07/04/2021 22:11

Young people are a risk of being obsessed, I understand and we give them a space to talk about that or help to find out more. But also bare in mind there are many things that can become addicting that need to be covered. (Drugs, alcohol, sugar, unhealthy eating, sex itself, social media, etc)

CorvusPurpureus · 07/04/2021 22:10

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ASugarr · 07/04/2021 22:10

@NiceGerbil

For boys, I think it's important to understand that a lot of the people doing this aren't enjoying it. That it's a job. Too many men tell themselves that the women all love it etc.

I saw a documentary about a couple who did porn. They were pretty positive about it iirc and the two bits I remember are when the woman did a BDSM thing and was really heavily bruised over her whole body. She said it had gone a bit far. She was worried whether they'd heal enough for her next booking. She was in a lot of pain
And her partner (heterosexual) doing gay porn.
The second thing usually makes men a bit taken aback. I suppose the idea of getting fucked as your job- when they imagine themselves in that role they look uncomfortable. It never seems to occur to them to feel that empathy with the women (if they watch straight porn).

And on gay porn- what I've seen - unless BDSM or labelled another way. It's very different in feel. It's more mutual. I've seen snogging (!) and smiling at each other. The bog standard offering for het and gay porn seems very different (but I'm no expert and I stopped watching years ago!).

Agreed! We actually have this conversation a lot with boys not only because of the popularity amongst them, but also young men being taken more advantage of. We discuss the positives and negatives of porn and it makes a significant difference to young people understanding it rather than stumbling upon it without knowing what it truly is. But it can be used in a healthy way when done correctly.
MissBarbary · 07/04/2021 22:07

@ASugarr

As someone who teaches sexual health to young people I see no issue with this content! It explains exactly what porn is and has a healthy discussion around it 🤍

Think I'll be using this in future classes.

At the risk of being accused of being obsessive may I point out, yet again, that video omitted any reference to trafficking.

How it is possible to give a supposedly objective assessment about porn and omit that is quite astonishing.

That's aside from all the other twaddle about porn being fine and fun.

NiceGerbil · 07/04/2021 22:05

For boys, I think it's important to understand that a lot of the people doing this aren't enjoying it. That it's a job. Too many men tell themselves that the women all love it etc.

I saw a documentary about a couple who did porn. They were pretty positive about it iirc and the two bits I remember are when the woman did a BDSM thing and was really heavily bruised over her whole body. She said it had gone a bit far. She was worried whether they'd heal enough for her next booking. She was in a lot of pain
And her partner (heterosexual) doing gay porn.
The second thing usually makes men a bit taken aback. I suppose the idea of getting fucked as your job- when they imagine themselves in that role they look uncomfortable. It never seems to occur to them to feel that empathy with the women (if they watch straight porn).

And on gay porn- what I've seen - unless BDSM or labelled another way. It's very different in feel. It's more mutual. I've seen snogging (!) and smiling at each other. The bog standard offering for het and gay porn seems very different (but I'm no expert and I stopped watching years ago!).

littlbrowndog · 07/04/2021 22:02

@OhHolyJesus

Actually a lot of those points were discussed in the video or is discussed in the government RSE guidelines.

Oh good. Do you mention erectile dysfunction when talking about porn or how you can start with soft porn and 'graduate' to child sex abuse images?

When you teach lessons on drugs do you mention the mental health or physical impacts, quoting some peer reviewed research or just say that it's normal, fine and fun?

(For the 80s kids is anyone reminded of Zammo and "just say no"?)

Here is what I will tell my child about porn when I decide it is the right time as i am the parent

Porn isn't sex. It's not love. It's morally wrong because of what it involves and the criminal acts it is connected to. It is against the law to show porn to anyone under the age of 18.

Don't watch it, if anyone tries to show you porn or makes you watch it tell me and I will take care of it.

And I will talk to my child about consent, sexual attraction, arousal, masturbation and all the things kids do but I do not need

A teacher
Some dodgy bloke off the internet
A kid from school
Some outsourced PSHE 'expert'
Childline
The NSPCC or Peter Wankless

...talking to my kid about porn.

Sums it up holy

That vid is just seems like grooming

Yay yay porn fun fun fun 👏👏👏👏👏

Idiot stuff.

CorvusPurpureus · 07/04/2021 22:01

Oh & when I say 'professional standards', I include as an absolute baseline 'has attended mandatory safeguarding training & has absorbed that it's important & that there are procedures in place', which is training that would apply to quite a lot of people who are in contact with young people but aren't teachers.

If you're blithely wittering about young people 'disclosing' to you, then you're either a fantasist or an active safeguarding risk.

applesaucespoon · 07/04/2021 22:00

“Child pornography” isn’t a thing. You mean images of child sexual abuse.

ASugarr · 07/04/2021 21:59

@OhHolyJesus

Actually a lot of those points were discussed in the video or is discussed in the government RSE guidelines.

Oh good. Do you mention erectile dysfunction when talking about porn or how you can start with soft porn and 'graduate' to child sex abuse images?

When you teach lessons on drugs do you mention the mental health or physical impacts, quoting some peer reviewed research or just say that it's normal, fine and fun?

(For the 80s kids is anyone reminded of Zammo and "just say no"?)

Here is what I will tell my child about porn when I decide it is the right time as i am the parent

Porn isn't sex. It's not love. It's morally wrong because of what it involves and the criminal acts it is connected to. It is against the law to show porn to anyone under the age of 18.

Don't watch it, if anyone tries to show you porn or makes you watch it tell me and I will take care of it.

And I will talk to my child about consent, sexual attraction, arousal, masturbation and all the things kids do but I do not need

A teacher
Some dodgy bloke off the internet
A kid from school
Some outsourced PSHE 'expert'
Childline
The NSPCC or Peter Wankless

...talking to my kid about porn.

Actually yes, we do. However not everyone who watches porn then gets into watching any illegal or abusive porn. Especially child porn. You have to activly seek child pornography so it isn't a common path. You can watch porn without having a porn addiction or watching abusive and unverified porn.
RabbitOfCaerbannog · 07/04/2021 21:55

@Thelnebriati

I am a CSA survivor. From a very early age, I knew better than to disclose to the kind of adult that says 'porn is fun and fine'.
Thanks
OhHolyJesus · 07/04/2021 21:55

Actually a lot of those points were discussed in the video or is discussed in the government RSE guidelines.

Oh good. Do you mention erectile dysfunction when talking about porn or how you can start with soft porn and 'graduate' to child sex abuse images?

When you teach lessons on drugs do you mention the mental health or physical impacts, quoting some peer reviewed research or just say that it's normal, fine and fun?

(For the 80s kids is anyone reminded of Zammo and "just say no"?)

Here is what I will tell my child about porn when I decide it is the right time as i am the parent

Porn isn't sex. It's not love. It's morally wrong because of what it involves and the criminal acts it is connected to. It is against the law to show porn to anyone under the age of 18.

Don't watch it, if anyone tries to show you porn or makes you watch it tell me and I will take care of it.

And I will talk to my child about consent, sexual attraction, arousal, masturbation and all the things kids do but I do not need

A teacher
Some dodgy bloke off the internet
A kid from school
Some outsourced PSHE 'expert'
Childline
The NSPCC or Peter Wankless

...talking to my kid about porn.

RabbitOfCaerbannog · 07/04/2021 21:54

The focus is all wrong. The sexual understanding and maturity assumed is all wrong. The male centric perspective is all wrong.

Agree

CorvusPurpureus · 07/04/2021 21:53

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

NiceGerbil · 07/04/2021 21:52

I have discussed it with my children in a very basic way.

I think that I've seen with the childline pages and others aimed at children that I've seen,

Is how they so often feel that they are written by men and for an older, much more knowing audience

Yes children see porn young. Yes they are curious. Yes they will look for it. Girls and boys. Because it's grown up, because they want to know what sex is all about, because they want to know what the other children are talking about.

What seems to be so wonky, as I mentioned, is that the advice is from a certain angle. An angle of. It's fine it's normal it's arousing etc.

A say 12 yo boy or girl being shown the sort of standard content now will more likely feel scared, worried and confused. It looks and often is quite, um. Rough, detached. The man or men do stuff to the woman. She turns this way and that way as they wish. Etc etc

The focus is all wrong. The sexual understanding and maturity assumed is all wrong. The male centric perspective is all wrong.

We can and should do better than this for children. But apparently that's prudish Hmm

Thelnebriati · 07/04/2021 21:52

I am a CSA survivor. From a very early age, I knew better than to disclose to the kind of adult that says 'porn is fun and fine'.

ASugarr · 07/04/2021 21:50

[quote RabbitOfCaerbannog]I don't object to talking to young people about porn. They should be educated about it. They should know what lies behind it and how it depicts relationships for the most part in a wildly misogynistic way. You seem to be misunderstanding me. Any discussion must involve ethics and should not paint it to 12 year olds as a bit of fun. It is having an increasingly problematic impact on young people's relationships as testified by the women in numerous articles I've shared. So RSE doesn't seem to be getting it right currently. It's not doing anything to help prevent young men see women as sexual objects to be degraded and spat on/choked etc etc as simply an everyday part of every relationship. This isn't progress.

This young woman showing off her bruises as if this is a bit of fun. This is not ok:

twitter.com/plstachios/status/1288162779900317699?s=21[/quote]
Okay that's fine but there are services out there dedicated to helping young people who do with to talk about it 🤍

titchy · 07/04/2021 21:46

I won't be giving out that information for my safety and the confidentiality of those young people I support

Hmm Yeah because there couldn't possibly be more than a handful of people in the entire country delivering sex ed to kids right?

ASugarr · 07/04/2021 21:43

[quote 2fallsagain]@ASugarr what is your understanding of safeguarding? I presume you are not you a teacher in a school? In what context do you teach sexual health to kids? Which organisation do you work for?[/quote]
I won't be giving out that information for my safety and the confidentiality of those young people I support 🤍