warning! Online porn seen by children as young as EIGHT fuels sexual violence and harassment in schools, warn MPs

• Primary school children are learning about sex through exposure to porn 
• It is fueling widespread sexual harassment with some becoming addicts 
• Women and Equality Committee recommends ‘age appropriate’ lessons

A culture of internet pornography among children as young as eight is helping fuel ‘widespread’ sexual harassment and violence in schools, MPs warn today.

Primary school children are learning about sex through exposure to ‘hardcore’ porn, with some even becoming addicts.

A hard-hitting report by the Commons’ Women and Equality Committee recommends ‘age appropriate’ lessons in pornography. Experts giving evidence to the committee suggested this should happen from primary school on wards.

he overhaul is needed as many girls face regular pestering and cat-calling amid ‘shocking’ levels of abuse in corridors and classrooms. Some experience inappropriate touching, having skirts lifted and the pulling down of underwear. The first ever parliamentary inquiry into sexual harassment in schools found that staff are under-reporting incidents and often fail to take them seriously.

It says: ‘The evidence we have gathered paints a concerning picture: the sexual harassment and abuse of girls being accepted as part of daily life; children of primary school age learning about sex and relationships through exposure to hardcore pornography; teachers accepting sexual harassment as being “just banter”; and parents struggling to know how they can best support their children.’

The committee’s report points out that a ‘culture of internet pornography’ has become prevalent among young people.

Evidence from those working in schools suggests ‘there may be an increase in sexual violence and sexual harassment, facilitated by technology and social media’.