Experts Link Teen Violence to Online Pornography

Violence and abuse in relationships involving children and teenagers may be far more widespread than official figures suggest, according to a report by the BBC.

British academic Ruth Weir of City St George’s, University of London, argues that the growing availability of online pornography may be contributing to the problem by shaping young people’s expectations and behavior in relationships.

Weir is working with Gloucestershire Police on research into domestic abuse among children under the age of 16. Experts say the issue has long been underreported, partly because this age group falls outside the legal definition of domestic abuse, making it harder to gather data and assess the scale of the problem.

Police data show that children under 16 account for around 4% of recorded strangulation cases in the county and are involved in roughly one-fifth of sexual offenses.

Many young people, however, do not describe violent or manipulative relationships as abuse, instead referring to them as “toxic relationships” or relationship conflicts.

The new study will analyze a decade of data in an effort to help professionals identify risky behavior earlier and provide support to both victims and perpetrators.

According to research by the Youth Endowment Fund, as many as 39% of young people aged 13 to 17 have experienced physical or emotional abuse.

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