Risk to a complete generation of children

The way children in care homes have become involved with paedophile gangs shows there is something sadly wrong with our care system.

But there is another serious threat to a complete generation of children that demands urgent attention. I refer to online pornography.

In a recent investigation, a sex education consultant who is regularly asked into schools to discuss sex and relationships went into a class of 20 youngsters aged 13 and 14 at a highly regarded specialist sports college in the North of England. These were not children in care from broken homes but children neatly dressed, all in school uniform, from apparently good homes.

To find out how much they knew, he asked them to write an A to Z of sexual terms they were familiar with. They had a more extensive range of sexual terms than any adult in the room - including the sexual education consultant. Every one of the 20, boys and girls, had watched pornography.

A group of children aged 14 and 15 at the school said there was no parental control on the internet at home. Their parents trusted them. Their parents had no idea what they were watching and would be shocked if they knew.

Pornography is highly addictive. We are going to see a complete generation addicted to pornography, sexually violent and lacking in social responsibility.

Will someone please open their eyes, open their ears and do something?