8% of Children Age 8-14 View Porn Monthly in UK Study

New statistics out of the UK reveal the shocking trend of young children accessing hardcore pornography online, and most are not even being asked to verify their age. The UK Addiction Treatment Group (UKAT) reported the number of young patients seeking treatment for porn addiction has nearly doubled in the past five years. The UK and U.S. have started to implement more stringent requirements for social media platforms and porn sites regarding age requirements, but the damage for many has already been done.  

Key findings from UK study on underage pornography habits

Age Verification

The UK Addiction Treatment Group (UKAT) examined data from multiple sources and found that 70% of 8-17 year olds were not being asked to verify their age on social media platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. These sites can host sexual content that may be harmful and should have more stringent age verification. UKAT also found that 20% of children 8-17 were able to falsely create their own profiles as 18 or older, automatically disabling age restricted safeties on certain platforms. 

Treatment Referrals Have Increased for Under-25s 

UKAT reported that since COVID, referrals for porn addiction treatment in patients under 25 has doubled nationwide. Recent legislation was just put into place late July that requires pornographic sites to verify users age, but this measure may be too little too late. In 2019, UKAT treated 73 patients under the age of 25 for porn addiction, rising to 148 in 2024. This averages out to three young clients a week needing support for porn addiction. 

Early Exposure Increases Risk

Of the patients under 25 who were treated for porn addiction, 80% stated their compulsive use began after early exposure at a young age to porn. The director of therapy at UKAT Zaheen Ahmed, stated that the negative impact of porn addiction is just as harmful as drug addiction. Exposure to porn at a young age can impact sexual, emotional and psychological development later on in life and increase risky sexual behavior and poor interpersonal relationships.

In fact, 8% of 8-14 year-olds in the UK visited a porn site or app every month, with around 3% of 8-9-year-olds among them.

Prevention is Key

This article highlights the importance of education and prevention measures to reduce the likelihood of porn addiction in younger populations. A large part of prevention relies on porn addiction sites complying with the new rules under the Online Safety Act. Age verification tactics include bank or credit card checks, facial age estimation and digital ID systems.

While these measures are helpful, they are not the perfect solution. Ahmed points out that children under 18 can still easily get around age verification technology by using VPS, older sibling or parent information and even fake IDs or documentation. Ahmen states that it is the responsibility of platforms to have more comprehensive age verification, and without it, the number of underaged kids accessing porn will continue to rise. 

Dangers of porn exposure at an early age

Studies have shown that there are long-term negative effects associated with porn exposure at a young age. Early exposure to porn directly correlates to higher rates of porn addiction and an increase in risky sexual behavior later in life. Additional consequences of early porn exposure include unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, decreased sexual satisfaction and unsuccessful romantic relationships. 

U.S. crackdown on underage porn access

The U.S. is fighting its own battle against underage access to online porn. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won a recent legal case against adult film association The Free Speech Coalition. This case involved a Texas law that requires entities to use age verification if their overall content contained more than one-third elicit material. The ruling of this case was significant as it was debated whether or not age-verification and limiting access to porn was unconstitutional. In June 2025 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Texas law HB1181 which could influence how other states are requiring entities to enforce age verification to access pornographic material. 

Rise of “Gooning” in teenagers

Porn exposure at a young age is also impacting sexual trends in younger generations. “Gooning” is a form of marathon masturbation, connected to the concept of “edging”. Gooning involves prolonged masturbation without experiencing a release in order to reach an eventual higher level of pleasure. Gooning typically involves watching excessive amounts of porn in order to maintain masturbation for a long period of time, which can lead to negative effects such as the need to use porn in order to stimulate arousal. Gooning may also impact an individual's physical health such as erectile dysfunction, genital damage or decreased sexual satisfaction. 

Porn Addiction treatment options in the U.S.

Porn use and addiction rates in younger populations may be on the rise, but specialized treatment can help those suffering from porn addiction. Treatment for porn addiction may vary depending on the severity of behaviors and personalized treatment goals. Treatment can include inpatient or outpatient facilities, individual therapy or support groups.

Birches Health has a nationwide team of therapists who are trained to treat porn addiction. Birches specializes in virtual care options that help reduce common barriers to treatment. Support through Birches is available anytime, anywhere. To get started with Birches or get more information on porn addiction treatment, you can:

• Book an appointment 

• Call 833-483-3838

• Email help@bircheshealth.com