Exploring Pornography: How Brook’s 16-19 group project on porn came to be

In this blog, Brook’s 16-19 Participation Advisory Group reflect on their project, Exploring Pornography, taking us on their journey from a small idea to a great resource with a big impact.

Talking about pornography can feel awkward and uncomfortable, especially in education settings, but for many young people, porn is something they encounter long before anyone has had a proper conversation with them about sex, relationships, consent or pleasure. We wanted to change that.

Over the past two years, we’ve been working together on a project focused on how pornography is talked about with young people, and more importantly, how it should be talked about. Drawing on our own experiences, the voices of our friends, and Brook’s values around openness and respect, we wanted to co-produce a new session designed to support honest, thoughtful conversations about porn in the post-16 space. Enter Exploring Pornography, Perspectives and Healthy Sexual Expression.

choosing an educational resource

The idea for our project came from a shared feeling amongst us: pornography is everywhere, but meaningful conversations about it are not.

Many of us reflected on how, growing up, porn was either not mentioned at all in relationships and sex education (RSE), or was talked about in a very brief, warning-focused way. Often, the message felt like: ‘porn is bad, avoid it’, without space to explore why it exists, how it can shape expectations, or how young people actually experience it in real life.

For most young people, first exposure to pornography isn’t planned. In fact, we know from the Childrens Commissioner’s research that the average age at which a young person sees pornography for the first time is 13 years old. It often happens accidentally, online, and without context. When there’s no safe space to unpack what they’ve seen, porn can quietly become a default reference point for sex and bodies, as well as power.

“It’s important to us as a group because it is undeniably a growing part of growing up in such a technological age, and we wanted to guide young people through these spaces, rather than simply pretending it doesn’t happen” – Carmen, PAG member

We felt strongly that young people deserve better than silence or shame. We wanted education that:

• Treats young people as capable of critical thinking
• Acknowledges that experiences with porn are varied
• Doesn’t assume there are simple “right” or “wrong” answers

This project mattered to us because it reflects real life. Pornography does influence how people think about sex and relationships, whether we like it or not. Ignoring that doesn’t protect young people, it just leaves them to figure it out alone.

“Exploring Pornography, Perspectives and Healthy Sexual Expression.“

Exploring Pornography is a discussion-based session designed for young people aged 16–19, built upon the idea that all questions are good questions. We didn’t want something that was preachy or scary so it is designed to be a safe space where young people can think, question and reflect together, as pairs and in groups, facilitated by a Brook expert.

We didn’t want it to feel like a traditional school lesson, so the session is structured around conversation, inviting young people to explore how pornography can influence ideas about sex, relationships, bodies and pleasure, while also recognising that everyone’s experiences and views are different.

The session:

• Acknowledges that many young people have encountered porn, often unintentionally
• Explores how porn can create unrealistic expectations about bodies, performance and behaviour
• Looks at the difference between healthy, consensual sexual experiences and harmful or aggressive ones
• Emphasises consent, communication, safety and mutual enjoyment as the foundation of healthy sex
• Encourages reflection on wellbeing, relationships and wider social impact

Creating the resource was one thing, but we also wanted to test it with facilitators and young people to see what they thought about it and the feedback we received was better than we could have hoped for!

One facilitator said: “I feel really empowered by this approach, as it gives young people autonomy to unpack harmful messages and stereotypes, whether related to pornography or gender roles. I see my role as more of a guide, supporting exploration rather than directing it.”

And those who took part in the session were overwhelmingly positive too. All of them agreed that the topic was something that mattered to people their age and they all enjoyed the style of the session, saying it was comfortable, informative and engaging.

 “Discussions!!! So much better than just information on PowerPoint. People can reach conclusions by themselves. And keeps people interested as they can think about themselves.” – Student taking part in the Exploring Pornography session

the legacy of “Exploring Pornography”

We really hope the legacy of this project is about opening doors rather than shutting conversations down.

We want this session to continue normalising conversations about pornography in a way that is honest, balanced and rooted in open mindedness so that young people are given space to think critically. This will better equip them to question harmful messages, recognise unrealistic portrayals, and communicate their own boundaries and needs in their own lives.

We also hope the project builds confidence among educators too. Porn can feel like a daunting topic to discuss but avoiding it doesn’t make it disappear.

Exploring Pornography matters more broadly too, because pornography doesn’t just affect individuals, it also shapes culture. Mainstream porn often reinforces stereotypes around gender, power, race and bodies, and can normalise aggression without showing consent. Creating spaces to talk about this helps challenge those norms rather than quietly absorbing them.

Ultimately, the legacy we want is a shift away from education that is shrouded in shame and fear, towards education that encourages curiosity, empathy and critical thinking. Young people deserve conversations that reflect the complexity of the world they’re navigating, even post-16.

“RSE shouldn’t end when you know what sex is and how it traditionally works, it’s a life-long lesson.” – Anonymous, PAG member

THE 16-19 group IS MORE THAN Exploring Pornography

Lucy: “I loved meeting everyone in my group and getting to know some of the Brook team, it really helped expand my social skills over the last couple of years.”

Maeve: “I love being part of the PAG currently, speaking to people that care as much as I do and really feeling like I can make a difference.”

Carmen: “I’m proud to be part of a diverse group who share common goals and values! It was amazing meeting Faustine and Ithar from Make It Mandatory, and it was so insightful knowing how organisations pressure MPs for positive change! I hope we can keep working with them, especially because they were able to ask really good and insightful questions about our group project, alongside how important their work is.”

Exploring Pornography started with a simple idea: if porn is part of many young people’s lives, education should reflect that reality. As the 16–19 PAG, we are proud to have co-produced a project that centres young people’s voices and experiences, while promoting healthy, consensual and respectful relationships. The session doesn’t pretend to have all the answers but instead, it creates space for questions and conversation.

We believe this project shows what’s possible when young people are trusted to be involved in shaping the education that affects them. And we hope it’s just one step towards more open, honest conversations about sex, relationships and wellbeing.