Scotland: Internet porn blamed for the rise in under-18s sex crimes

During 2015 and 2016, 407 people were reported for various sexual crimes in Scotland. Experts from The Reward Foundation believe that the sharp rise is due, primarily, to the increase in viewership of internet porn. The reported crimes included rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, other sexual crimes, and sending unwanted sexually explicit messages.
Mary Sharpe from the Scottish charity, The Reward Foundation, said:

“Unless we face up to the reality of what the porn industry is covertly teaching our youngsters, the crime rate will continue to rise.”

With the rising cases of sexual assault being described as an epidemic, a summit titled ‘Children, Young People and Sexual Offending’ is due to take place in Glasgow on Friday. The Deputy First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, will set out the importance of teaching young people about consent, dignity, and respect, and will get feedback from teachers and other relevant parties at the event in order to better tackle the issue.

The breakdown of the crimes committed is as follows: 120 under 18s were charged with rape or attempted rape, 113 were charged with sexual assault and another 167 were charged with other sexual crimes. Seven 16 and 17-year-olds were reported for sending messages containing sexual content.