But what impact is this steady diet of online depravity having on the attitudes of boys and girls towards real life relationships, and on their self-esteem? asks ex- lads’ mag editor Martin Daubney – presenter of a UK Channel 4 documentary called Porn on the Brain
Could it even have a wider impact on their lives, blighting their ability to function in the world, get good qualifications and jobs?
With its frequent nudity and lewd photo spreads, I’d long been accused of being a soft pornographer, and after leaving Loaded I agonised that my magazine may have switched a generation onto more explicit online porn.
In the documentary I set out on a journey to answer the question: is porn harmless, or is it damaging lives?
My interest was deeply personal, too, as my own beautiful little boy, Sonny, is now four. Even though he has only just started primary school, the Children’s Commissioner estimates boys as young as ten are now being exposed to online porn.
I wanted to know what I could do to protect my own son from a seemingly inevitable exposure to hardcore material in just a few years’ time.
I used to be sceptical that porn was as damaging a force as the headlines and David Cameron – who recently said it was ‘corroding childhood’ – suggest. In the past I’d even defended pornography in university debates, on TV and on radio. I claimed it was our freedom of choice to watch it and said it could actually help add to adult relationships.
But what I saw during the making of the film changed my opinion of pornography forever.
The true stories of boys I met whose lives had been totally taken over by porn not only moved me to tears but also made me incredibly angry that this is happening to our children.
And the looks of revulsion on those poor girl’s faces in the playground enraged me.
I feel as if an entire generation’s sexuality has been hijacked by grotesque online porn.
Read full Story. Published 25 September 2013
Experiment that convinced me online porn is the most pernicious threat facing children today: By ex- lads’ mag editor Martin Daubney – presenter of a UK Channel 4 documentary called Porn on the Brain.
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