Children's Perspectives on Pornography and Other Online Sexual Practices in Catalonia, Spain.

Infancy, historically seen as asexual (Davies & Robinson, 2010), contrasts with recent findings of pornography consumption starting at age 8 in Spain (Ballester & Orte, 2019). This discrepancy has sparked societal concern, as reflected in the Spanish press. Our study's primary objective was to explore the nature, usage patterns, information sources, and coping mechanisms related to explicit sexual content accessed by children aged 9 to 11. Throughout 2022-2023 our research engaged in 27 focus groups involving over 250 children from nine schools in the province of Barcelona. We used drawings as narrative triggers (Eldén, 2013), to encourage discussions and insights among the participants. The collected data underwent a qualitative analysis employing discourse analysis and visuals. Initial findings reveal a significant deviation from conventional literature, which suggests pornography serves as a learning tool for children (Save the Children, 2020; Diputació de Barcelona, 2023). Contrarily, our results indicate that, through family dialogue and guidance, children do not perceive pornography as educational but rather seek it for pleasure. Furthermore, our study revealed children's adeptness at devising strategies to avoid unwanted content and combat online risks like bullying or grooming. However, it also unveiled the perpetuation of gender disparities within accessed content and the methods by which they access it. These findings underscore the pressing need for affective-sexual education programs tailored to children's requirements. Our aim is to advocate for the development of such programs and to offer guidance for parents and teachers on initiating meaningful conversations about these sensitive topics with children.