Childline/NSPCC promoting porn? Surely IANBU?

[Oldstyle]

Childline have just produced this cheery little Youtube video - WTF is Porn. For kids. AIBU to think this is absolutely unacceptable? Or am I doing a Mary Whitehouse?

No contextualisation, no mention of the abusive & violent nature of the majority of porn, or the negative impact it has on the viewer and their attitude to relationships and sex. I'm beyond appalled.

How are they linked to this man?

Clicked to YouTube but he's v annoying and can't be arsed to listen to an over fast talking man explain why it's great to sexually brutalised women (which is what much of mainstream porn boils down to these days).

I think it’s a great way to explain porn and it’s limitations without being judgy.

I think it DOES point out the negative effects on your real-life sex, but what worries me is that is doesn't give any hints of age-appropriacy. Who's it for? 15 year olds - ok. 10 year olds - NOT imho

That's a brilliant video. It talks about consent (repeatedly), porn not being real life, porn addiction, and the law.

Teens are going to want to know about porn. The video explains it in an understandable, non judgmental way.

I'd hope that they don't, but if a ten year old does have questions about porn then it's better for them to watch that than some Google search bringing up goodness knows what.

OK watching.

Porn is great because using your imagination is hard work?

What on earth???

I actually think this is good.

Tackles consent, unrealistic expectations and the law.

If you want to see people other than 'straight white people getting it on'?

So telling children the rampant racism in the industry is AOK. Seeking out titles along racial lines is AOK. And the racist stereotypes and violence underlying these categories.

Do I need to watch it all this is utter shit.

Childline is aimed at all children big enough to pick up a phone or used to be.

Yes, you do need to watch the whole thing Fraggling, and stop trying to read things into it that aren't there.

@fraggling

Please watch the entire video before rubbishing small extracts.

It's aimed at young adults not discerning, self-aware and educated critical women (I include myself in that description).
I actually think it's a good attempt at explaining what porn is and some of the negative aspects.

I'm not sure how @Oldstyle concluded that this video was promoting porn.

OK - I'm prepared to accept the Mary Whitehouse mantle but the enthusiastic 'hey, let's all get down with porn' approach belies the fact that porn is overwhelmingly misogynistic, encourages kids (especially girls) to feel that their bodies are not adequate and that sex is about women being passive recipients of loveless or, more often, abusive / painful acts. It does mention the downsides, briefly and at the end, but the message is one of harmless fun. Porn definitely isn't harmless fun.

I actually think it is really good, it's hard discussing porn with children, and at secondary school so 11+ they hear about porn.

@Oldstyle

Do you accept that teenagers will look for porn/have it shared with them on WhatsApp etc/be drawn to it?

If so, then what video what you choose to produce, bearing in mind that said teenagers are having this experience anyway, and that the drawbridge can't be pulled up so to speak?

I think this is great and perfect for tweens/teens.They are watching it.

YABU OP, it is s very good informative video in a format that appeals to young people. It’s it meant for grown women.

NOT meant*

Seems fine to me.

Firstly, it was made in 2015. It's not new.

Secondly, it's a pretty good video that talks openly and honestly about porn rather than pretending teenagers aren't watching it.

Its open, honest, and factual. I'd rather my child watched that and then came to me with follow-on questions than listened to half-truths and sleaze spouted by Gobby Big Mouth at school before going off and googling/watching porn.

Videos like this aren't there to fully explain everything to kids, they're a starting point for your own discussions but as a PP pointed out - kids are already watching porn. They need this information.

OK I watched it to the end.
The second half is way better than the first, I suppose the first is to get the children engaged before the tricky bits.

I am still uncomfortable with the first parts given the prevalence of extreme sexualised racism that exists in porn that would not be tolerated at all in any other circs.

I am also still unconfortable with the underlying premise that all kids watch it (as opposed to have seen it), that they will all find it sexy, that it is sexy full stop. And the idea that everyone watches porn because imagining is hard work is bizarre.

In short, it would have been much better if it had a bit of not everybody likes it, not everybody watches it, not everybody finds it sexy, and that's OK, had been included.

Ironically I think it was quite male perspective even though it flagged that at the end. Does a 12yo girl whose boyfriend is showing her violent porn as a how to, find it sexy? Do girls coming across gang bangs, deep throat till vomit, slapping, hitting, strangling, aggressive anal find it sexy? Or scary?

Having watched the whole thing, that's what I think.