MYTH

VS

REALITY

Online Pornography

Lesson Plan

Do Now: 5 quick questions

Answers

Answers

Students will understand that pornography can show a stereotypical portrayal of relationships, bodies, gender and sex.

Starter discussion

Watch the talking heads

Discussion questions

--------------------------------------

Activity A: Myth or reality?

Activity B: Gender stereotypes

Activity C: Resisting the pressure

Plenary: #RealityCheck

GROUND RULES

• Everyone has the right to be heard and respected.
• We won’t share our own, or anyone else’s personal experiences.
• We won’t ask anyone personal questions, including our teacher.
• We won’t put anyone on the spot, and we have a right to pass.
• We won’t judge or make assumptions about anyone.
• We will comment on what was said, not the person who said it.
• We will use language that won’t offend or upset people.

​

Before we start…

• Everyone’s thoughts and opinions are to be respected
• No one will be expected to talk about anything they do not wish to
• No pornography will be shown during the lesson, or is expected to be viewed as a result of this lesson
• There is no expectation or assumption that you will have watched pornography before
• There is no expectation that you will view pornography in the future
• There is no expectation that you will share whether or not you have seen it before.

naked

Starter

enjoy

videos

uncomfortable

18

paid

money

adults

Young people’s experiences

What impact could watching pornography have on a young person?

We are going to watch some videos of young people talking about pornography. Think about this question:

Online pornography: Film 1

Online Pornography Film 1 - Dion on Vimeo

Pause point: answer the questions.

What did Tyler tell Dion about online pornography?

He said that everyone watches it.

That it was normal to watch it.

He told Dion he could learn everything he needed to know from watching porn.

He also said it was the best way to learn how to treat a girlfriend.

​

​

Is what Tyler told Dion true?

Not everyone watches pornography. It’s normal to be curious but it’s also completely normal to not be interested in watching it too.

It is not the best way to learn about sex and relationships, or how to treat a girlfriend or boyfriend as it is not real.

The people who appear in pornography are actors and have been paid to do certain things which do not reflect what happens in real life.

At the time, why did Dion think it would be a good idea to watch online pornography?

• Dion thought that online pornography would prepare him for a relationship.

Why do you think Dion was shocked by what he saw?

Online pornography has an age rating of 18+ for a reason. Some adult content can be shocking and violent, which makes it unsuitable for anyone under 18.

Seeing these images can be upsetting, confusing or even frightening for a young person to watch.

Watch the second half of Dion’s video.

Online Pornography Film 1 - Dion on Vimeo

Why did Dion find it difficult to tell his mum?

• Some young people might find it difficult to talk to a parent or carer about seeing pornography online as they may feel embarrassed.
• Remember that there are other trusted adults that you can talk to, such as a teacher, form tutor, head of house, or another relative.

What things did Dion’s mum tell him about online pornography?

• Curiosity is a normal part of growing up, but there are better and more appropriate ways of learning about sex and relationships than watching pornography.

How does Dion feel about online pornography now?

• He knows that watching pornography was not the best way to learn about sex or relationships because pornography is not real.
• He knows the people are actors and they are not having sex because they like each other, but because they are paid to do it.
• He knows it might exaggerate some things or show things that don’t normally happen in real life.
• He is still curious, but he knows he doesn’t want to watch it.

Link to Beth’s video: scroll down the page to Beth’s video and maximise the frame.

• https://www.childnet.com/resources/pshe-toolkit/myth-vs-reality/online-pornography/

Beth

“Is this what’s expected of me?”

Beth

“Is this what’s expected of me?”

How did Beth first encounter online pornography?

A boy at school showed her.

Did Beth want to watch?

No, it was shown to her by someone else and she wasn’t asked first.

Is it ok to go ahead and share pornographic images with your friends?

No. People might not want to see them. They might be upset by them.

What if someone asks first?

Is it up to the other person to make it clear they don’t want to see it?

Is it a shared responsibility?

Think about what you know about consent.

Beth says that she looks nothing like the women in porn. Do you think that people in pornographic images represent a truthful image of real bodies?

• No.
• Typically, a pornography actor will be seen to portray the ‘ideal’ sexual body.
• Pornography will often show the extremes of an act (including violence), of bodies (including size and shape) and of relationships.

Beth says that the other girls remain silent when porn is shown. Why would someone choose to remain silent and not speak up?

• They might feel pressured or embarrassed.
• They might think that everyone else thinks it’s normal to do this.
• They might want to impress the boy.
• They might not want to appear boring or ‘frigid.’
• Beth’s friend Sadie was called ‘frigid’ for speaking up.

10 minutes

Refer to page 26 of the guidance for full details

Now watch the video. Have you changed your mind about any of the statements?

• Pornography - BBC Teach

5 minutes

Gender

Refer to page 26 of the guidance for full details

Talking heads starter question

What impact could watching pornography have on a young person?

​

Have your thoughts changed?

Back to this question:

What does research tell us?

Studies have shown that when children and young people are exposed to sexually explicit material, they are at greater risk of developing:

• unrealistic attitudes about sex and consent
• more negative attitudes towards roles and identities in relationships
• more casual attitudes towards sex and sexual relationships
• an increase in violent sexual behaviour
• unrealistic expectations of body image and performance

Key statistics relating to young people’s viewing of pornography

• Over half (53%) of the 11-16 year olds surveyed by the NSPCC had seen online pornography

• Children first view it between 10 and 17 years old and viewit more frequently as they get older

• Accidentally seeing pornography is more common than deliberately looking for it

• Boys are more likely to access pornography than girls

• Boys generally view pornography more positively and say they access it mainly out of curiosity

• Girls have more negative attitudes about pornography and say it is distasteful

• Girls feel more uncomfortable than boys when viewing pornography

(NSPCC, Children’s Commissioner and Middlesex University, 2016)

10 minutes

Resisting the

Refer to page 27 of the guidance for full details

Possible responses

• Be honest - Say how you feel and say what you think is right or wrong
• Talk - Explain what you want to happen and what you don’t want to happen
• Feel safe - Make sure you feel safe where you are, and around those that you’re with
• Being comfortable - Say if you don’t feel comfortable with anything. Consenting to one thing doesn’t mean consenting to another; just because you have kissed someone or done something sexual, it doesn’t mean you have to view sexual content
• Make a joke – sometimes making a joke can defuse a situation and change the topic, particularly if it is a friend you are talking to

Write your own response to the statement above thinking about:

- Do you agree?

- How would you challenge the comment?

- What advice would you give or questions would you ask?

Summary tasks:

​

If you have a question, write it on the paper provided and put it in the question box/ask it basket

A sexual health and well-being charity for under 25s which offers information, support and guidance for young people on anything from sex and relationships to gender and sexuality www.brook.org.uk.

Website for advice and support

A sexual health charity who give straight forward information and support on sexual health, sex and relationships to everyone in the UK www.fpa.org.uk.

A youth charity focused on mental health and well-being which offers information, advice and guidance for young people on anything which may impact on your wellbeing www.youngminds.org.uk.

An LGBT charity who offer support to anyone on issues like gender, equality and sexuality For LGBT+ Young People - The Proud Trust

Support

• Childline

​

​

​

• The Mix

​

​

​

• Brook

• The Family Planning Association

​

​

​

• Young Minds

​

​

​

​

• The Proud Trust

www.childnet.com/pshetoolkits

Available to download at:

Myth vs Reality PSHE toolkit 2019 by Childnet International is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.