As the average age kids get hold of their first smartphone reduces rapidly, younger generations have easier access to pornography than ever before. Despite this, the Promoting Wellbeing Through Sexuality Education report found fewer than half of New Zealand’s high schools teach their students about pornography. Now the Education Review Office (ERO) is urging schools to start a conversation about it with their students.
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Granted, it can be an awkward topic for teachers to spark up. But the report highlights that the lack of trying means many young Kiwis are learning about sex through pornography. The report states that “pornography rarely depicts meaningful consent, and often includes coercion and/or violence, particularly towards girls and women, as a normal part of sexual encounters".But porn is not all bad for teenagers, an expert told VICE. Kris Taylor, a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland whose research focuses on the morals and ethics of pornography viewership, says there is evidence to suggest porn can have positive ramifications for youth who are LGBTQI+, who otherwise might not see representation of their sexualities in popular culture. “That’s not the fault of pornography or teenagers,” he said, “that’s the fault of having no sex education available to those groups.”The ERO recommends schools investigate how to make good sex education more accessible to all students, and to LGBTQI+ students in particular. It is encouraging teachers to consult with students and families for guidance about how to approach the much-needed conversation.