Most young people in New Zealand have seen pornography. One in four young people first saw porn by the age of 12. Three out of four have seen it by 17. Most young people were not seeking out pornography when they first saw it, but they came across it anyway.
Some young people are viewing porn regularly (15% view porn at least monthly, weekly or daily). The majority of these young people started viewing porn regularly by age 14.
It’s common for young people to have seen violence, aggression and non-consensual activity. Young people were more likely to see a focus on men’s pleasure and dominance, while also more likely to see women being demeaned, subjected to violence or aggression, and non-consensual behaviour.
Young people are likely to see porn regardless of gender, ethnicity or sexuality, however most young people have never talked about it with a parent or caregiver.
Purpose
We surveyed more than 2,000 New Zealanders aged 14-17 for the research project NZ Youth and Porn: Research findings of a survey on how and why young New Zealanders view online pornography. This page provides a summarised version of the key findings.