What is it?

Online pornography (porn) can be text, an image or a video that is sexually explicit. For example, this could include a photo of someone naked or a video of people having sex.

It is perfectly natural to be curious about sex and relationships. However, it’s a topic that many people feel uncomfortable discussing with an adult. Watching pornography can sometimes be seen as a way to explore and learn about sex and relationships without involving anyone else.

But it is very important to remember that porn is intended to be seen by adults, and most of the time it does not show what sex is actually like in real life. You should never feel pressured to view online pornography. If you feel you have been pressured to do this you should tell an adult that you trust.

Is it legal?

Watching and sharing pornography is usually not illegal but there are certain exceptions:

• Violent pornography: online content of physical abuse or rape.
• Child pornography: defined as any pornographic material that shows someone under the age of 18 engaged in sexual activity. It’s illegal for anyone under 18 to share explicit images or films of themselves or another young person, even it was shared with their consent.
• Revenge pornography: refers to the act of posting images or videos of an ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend online without their consent, as a way of getting back at them for something. If you are a victim of revenge porn, you should report it to the police.
• Child abuse: if an adult causes, encourages, arranges or facilitates child pornography.

it is also illegal for someone to sell or distribute pornographic material to children younger than 18 years old.