They cited a 2021 Ofsted report which found that 90 per cent of girls and 50 per cent of boys had reported that either they or their peers had been sent explicit pictures they did not wish to see “a lot” or “sometimes”.
The NEU said that high-quality RSE delivered by trained staff was needed and that pupils needed to be given the space to question and challenge pornography.
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, said that it was important society understood that porn was now “very readily available” with significant numbers of teenagers viewing porn online or hearing about this from their peers.
She added that young children could end up seeing porn by accident or “because of algorithms” rather than because they were seeking out explicit content.
“The majority of pornography projects a distorted view of sex and sexual relationships and it should be a matter of concern that mainstream sites regularly feature violent acts against women and girls, incest and racism,” she said.
“Children and young people may not have the critical analysis or maturity to understand or cope well with exposure to pornography.”
‘Distorted picture of sexual behaviours’
Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Detailed statutory guidance is set out by the Department for Education and includes a requirement that by the end of secondary school pupils should know that sexually explicit material such as pornography presents a distorted picture of sexual behaviours, and can damage the way people see themselves in relation to others and negatively affect how they behave towards sexual partners.”
He added: “We would welcome discussion about what more might be taught in schools about the dangers of pornography. It is an appalling state of affairs that online pornography can so easily be accessed by young people.
“The pornography industry should be doing far more to put its house in order and we hope to see the implementation of effective legislation to address this issue at the earliest possible date.”
The Department for Education was approached for comment.
