‘Pornography is having an increasing impact on the lives of young people. Not just young men but women as well.’
– Headteacher, The Holt School.
What is Object?
Object is a workshop that explores some of the issues around pornography. OBJECT was developed in response to our research with young people which suggested they want a chance to explore issues around sexualisation and the internet, as well as in response to national surveys reporting that one in four young people feel that pornography is affecting their relationships.
How does Object work?
We run interactive lessons with year 10 students during the school day that aim to give young people the space to hear real stories, see statistics, discuss and think about these issues in a safe environment. Where they can share their thoughts and opinions whilst exploring the impact pornography can have on the relationships we have with each other and ourselves.
The workshop incorporates real-life stories and gives an honest presentation of facts.
Object is designed to empower young people to make informed decisions for themselves. In the workshop we split the students into small groups to share their thoughts and to have an open discussion about the issues raised around porn and relationships.

“I walked away feeling very differently about pornography and the impacts it can have.”– Year 10 student
What is different about Object?
Object deals with pornography openly and honestly when very few people will talk about the subject with young people at all. Object is designed to develop over time in response to young people’s concerns. We believe it is vital to listen to their views and to incorporate current thinking so that the presentation remains relevant and meaningful.
Object is performed by young performers studying at Berkshire drama colleges. This has proved to be a huge part of the project’s success, as Year 10 students find them approachable, relatable and believable as slightly older peers. They feel comfortable opening up to them in the discussion groups after the performance. The drama students feed in their own experience to the piece each time it’s updated.
Why is Object important?
Pornography is widely accessible. A large number of young people are turning to it to learn about relationships and sex, yet pornography does not promote relationship, can lead to unrealistic expectations that cannot be met and introduces confusion into the area of sexual consent.
Recent research shows that…
Children are exposed to porn before they have real relationships:
A major study by Middlesex University suggests that by the age of 14, around half of young people have seen pornography online. But exposure to this content is often even younger. A survey published by Psychologies magazine found that a third of UK teenagers had first seen sexual images online when they were 10 or younger.
Porn can create unrealistic expectations and harmful practices:
Research shows that 79% of young adults said they have seen sexually violent pornography before the age of 18.
A large NUS survey found 60% of young people watched porn to get information about sex. Half of these students said that issues they needed to know about were not covered in school sex education.
The Middlesex University study found that most teenage boys think porn is a realistic depiction of sex. More than a third of the 13- to 14-year-old boys said they wanted to copy the behaviour they had seen, even though 87% said that porn failed to teach them about sexual consent. The researchers said:
“We found that children and young people need safe spaces where they can freely discuss the full range of issues related to sex, relationships and the accessibility of online porn in the digital age.” *
Object encourages this much-needed open discussion. It sheds light on some of the issues, invites young people to consider the facts and encourages them to reflect on the way they view relationships.
“I hadn’t realised that what you see isn’t always reality… it can have a massive impact on what we believe intimate relationships are like, when they are not. It opened my eyes and made me reflect!”
– Year 10 student
“I hadn’t realised that what you see isn’t always reality… it can have a massive impact on what we believe intimate relationships are like, when they are not. It opened my eyes and made me reflect!”
– Year 10 student