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*Trigger warning: This blog contains written references to violent and disturbing sexual scenarios.
Big Porn is harvesting the innocence of children, globally. With virtually no protections for underage visitors, and little to no content moderation, the mega porn monopolies that dominate the porn industry are actively complicit in the exposure of a generation of young people to pornography. It’s time for the negligence and irresponsibility that are trademarks of Big Porn to be exposed, and for these companies to be held accountable.
In 2021, it is easier for a child to access porn on the internet than any other time in history. Two clicks is all it takes for a child to be confronted with some of the most dehumanizing, perverted, and abusive imagery ever produced.
Elijah is one of the millions of kids whose lives have been traumatised by early exposure.
“At the age of 16 I was curious about how women would have sex, so I started searching Pornhub. I came across a video titled ‘Anal Rape Punishment’ and now it’s seared into my memory. The camera angle was at the top corner of a trailer bedroom, like a security camera. There was nothing but a mattress in the room. The girl was tied up and bent over screaming in pain and trying to kick and get away. He just kept grabbing her harder. I was sick to my stomach. I just watched a man rape someone.”
Children like Elijah are being educated by sexual violence, hardcore bondage, gang rape, incest and other warped sex acts considered “normal” in the porn industry. They are being taught to associate “sex,” with aggression, violence, and abuse.
I just watched a man rape someone.
It’s been estimated that 30% of all web content is porn. Using back of the napkin math, that would number porn sites in the hundreds of millions globally. According to Tech Radar, out of the top 20 most visited websites in the US in the last month, four were pornographic, including, Xvideos, Pornhub, Xnxx, and Jerkmate. These sites rack up millions of daily views, with Pornhub and Xvideos alone bringing in more traffic than Netflix.
Not one of the four most popular porn websites on the internet require age verification of any kind before viewers are able to watch and consume their sexually explicit, adult content.
In an investigation of 50 of the top rated porn sites, none of them required ID to enter. And only 3 of them asked the visitor to click a button saying they were 18—a single button that any child could click.
In Pornhub’s case, their rules are written in small font and hidden in the long-winded terms and conditions on the website. It states, “If you are under 18 or the applicable age of majority, please do not use the Website.” That’s a pitiful attempt to protect children. Nobody is being fooled here.
Sign the petition calling for required age verification, with ID, on all sites hosting porn.
What used to be a dark corner of the world wide web is now a central and dominating force leaking into every facet of life today. Big Porn is a massive, global enterprise and their reach is far bigger than most people imagine. The most visited porn sites on the internet are owned by a handful of companies shrouded in secrecy.
It’s no shock that it is incredibly difficult to find any information about the founders, executives, or employees of any of these companies. Even MindGeek, the largest online porn distributor in the world, was found to have used fake names of executives in statements to the public.
The onus is simple. Websites that host adult content must hold the responsibility of ensuring their visitors are of legal age. Do porn websites have the power to do this? Absolutely. The technology is readily available. Why haven’t they?
Big Porn’s profitability relies directly on video views and web traffic. In a business model that profits off individual views, the earlier a child is exposed to porn, the sooner they become addicted to the product, the more years of repeat traffic Big Porn can exploit. The financial return on early exposure is exponential.
It’s clear that Big Porn and this multi-billion dollar industry are not passive bystanders, but complicit in making porn easily accessible to children.
The story of a 4th grade boy demonstrates this well: “I was introduced to porn by a friend… I got absolutely hooked. I watched porn once, twice, sometimes even three times A DAY from 4th grade until high school. It distorted my view of women. To this day I still struggle to stay away from porn and I suffer the mental and psychological consequences of my actions.”
In a business model that profits off individual views, the earlier a child is exposed to porn, the sooner they become addicted to the product, the more years of repeat traffic Big Porn can exploit.
While having sex in public will get you arrested for indecent exposure, streaming it online will earn you followers and cash. While buying cigarettes and alcohol or visiting a strip club require a photo ID to indulge, looking at porn just requires access to any device with a web browser. Computers, phones, tablets, and even gaming systems have all proven to be reliable portals to pornography exposure.
To take it a step further, buying alcohol and cigarettes requires a license. Heavy fines and possible closures are levied against establishments that fail to verify age. Yet literally no restrictions or consequences are levied against these porn companies who continue to push all boundaries and limits in their twisted thirst for money and traffic.
As one expert noted “The internet has not only made porn easily accessible, it’s really made it inescapable.”
Statisticians generally agree that the majority of children will be exposed to porn by age 13, with the average age of first exposure being 11 years old. Just pause a moment and take that in. Porn exposure has become so “normal” we’ve somehow become numb to its crippling effects on a child’s brain. According to 2020 research by the BBFC, the percentage of kids exposed to pornography is as follows:
51% of 11 to 13-year-olds
66% of 14 to 15-year-olds
79% of 16 to 17-year-olds
Whether you are a parent or not, these numbers should be considered unequivocally despicable and unacceptable.
While kids are naturally and intrinsically curious, it’s not their innocent curiosity leading to exposure—simply being online poses a threat to any child. According to a 2016 UK study, 62% of 11-13 year olds who had seen pornography reported that their first exposure to it was unintentional. Think school project research or innocent online gaming.
Many experts believe that porn itself should be perceived as a sexual predator, and that the industry has weaponized technology against children. The nauseating truth is, porn companies are hunting for future customers, and it would seem they have zeroed in on our children.
Porn should never be something that is “stumbled upon” and the time has come for Big Porn to step up to the plate with decisive actions in this space. It is time they’re held accountable. We must demand that age verification with an ID is required for the viewing of all pornography on the internet and that these standards are upheld by law.
We, like many of you, are committed to standing up and speaking out for our children. The futures of millions of children are at stake. We wish this statement was an exaggeration. But it’s not.
Will you join the movement to Protect Children Not Porn? Click below and sign the petition calling for required age verification, with ID, on all sites hosting porn.