In June 2023, the government launched a ‘Pornography Review’ to analyse and assess the impacts of pornography on society.
At the launch Technology minister, Paul Skully, said: “Keeping the public safe is the first priority of any government and with technology moving faster than ever, we cannot take our eye off the ball in exploring what more we can do.”
As part of the review, the government has invited members of the public, as well as experts and organisations, to have their say and contribute to the review.
This is a great opportunity for us to share our stories and experiences about the various harms of pornography.
We fully expect experts and academics to participate but at Naked Truth we also know the power of story and first hand experience.
You can contribute to the review here. The deadline for submitting evidence to the review is 7th March 2024 at 11:59 PM
“Keeping the public safe is the first priority of any government and with technology moving faster than ever, we cannot take our eye off the ball in exploring what more we can do.”
The Government’s ‘Call For Evidence’
The government’s invitation to participate is through a 40-question survey, broken down into 4 sections, but you can choose at the start which section(s) you want to answer.
The survey covers a very broad range of themes such as the harms of pornography, AI and pornography, virtual reality and pornography, illegal pornography and criminal justice legislation. Many of these important questions are beyond Naked Truth’s focus as a charity.
However, as a respondent, you can skip any questions you don’t want to answer or don’t feel you can answer. For many questions, respondents are asked to upload evidence. This is not mandatory and can be ignored. At the end of the survey you will be asked whether you want to be anonymous or give their details, there’s no obligation to give your name or email address.
Then just click ‘Submit’ and job done!
Given how long and broad the survey is, it would be unreasonable to expect many people to be able to answer every question. Therefore, we have picked out 9 key questions we’d encourage you to answer. Please don’t be put off by questions that include ‘What evidence can you provide’ or ‘Please provide evidence…’, lived experience and personal stories are evidence – you don’t need to provide statistics or research in order to answer those questions.
Questions 34, 35 and 38 could be a good opportunity to mention The Naked Truth Project, especially if you have experience of our education or recovery work.
Lived experience and personal stories ARE evidence
The 9 key questions:
Section 1: The prevalence of illegal pornography online, and the impact of legal online
pornography
3) What evidence can you provide on how legal pornography adversely affects the behaviours of
viewers? This can include relationships, psychological impacts and/or sexual behaviours of viewers
4) Is there evidence to suggest a link between viewing specific types of legal pornography (such as violent legal pornography) and subsequent attitudes towards relationships, psychological impacts and/or sexual behaviours of viewers?
5) Is there evidence to suggest links between viewing specific types of pornography and viewers’ attitudes towards violence against women and girls?
19) What impact has pornography’s shift to online mediums had on viewers? This could include impacts on accessibility, attitudes, violence against women and girls etc. Please provide evidence to support this.
Section 4: Education and information resources on pornography
34) What education / information are you aware of being available for adults about:
34.1) The potential impact of viewing pornography? This can include some types of legal pornograph which convey violent or misogynistic assumptions about sex and relationships.
34.1.1) In your view, how effective is this education / information?
35) What education / information are you aware of being available for children about:
35.1) the impact of viewing pornography? This can include some types of legal pornography which conveys violent or misogynistic assumptions about sex and relationships.
35.1.1) In your view, how effective is this education / information?
38) In your view, what information or support would be helpful for adults who are concerned about their own consumption of pornography? Please provide any evidence you have to support this.
The more individuals participate, the louder our voice
The government has invited all stakeholders to participate. This includes everyone from industry lobbyists representing ‘big porn’ and creators through to parents and concerned members of the public. Industry lobbyists will participate and will downplay the negative impacts and harms of pornography, therefore, the more of us who can take part, the louder our voice will be, and the greater the chance that legislation and protections will be brought in to protect society from the various harms of pornography. We can’t allow ‘big porn’ to win, there is too much at stake for children, parents and society as a whole.
Research and statistical evidence
It is not necessary to provide scientific research or evidence, even though the survey asks you to. If you’d like to anyway, you will need to upload files to the survey form. Below is a small list of helpful articles, websites and studies. Feel free to use them if you wish, but don’t feel you have to.
- https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2023/05/Evidence-on-pornographys-influence-on-harmful-sexual-behaviour-among-children.pdf
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-sexual-abuse-in-schools-and-colleges/review-of-sexual-abuse-in-schools-and-colleges
- https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/10/porn-study-survey-uk-teenagers-addicted
- https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/research/
- https://nakedtruthproject.com/get-educated/
- https://cease.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2021/07/210607_CEASE_Expose_Big_Porn_Report.pdf
- https://www.bbfc.co.uk/about-us/news/children-see-pornography-as-young-as-seven-new-report-finds
Let us know if you’ve taken part!
Finally, we’d be delighted if you could let us know if you’ve taken part. Please drop us an email at info@nakedtruthproject.com and if you feel comfortable sharing some of your survey responses with us that would be a bonus. With your permission, we may consider sharing responses on our website and social media.