A new report has found that young people are turning to pornography for sex education rather than their parents or teachers.
The Positive Sexual Relationships report was published to mark the beginning of Youth Work Ireland Week and surveyed 1,056 young people between the ages of 14 and 21, with 20% admitting to being influenced by pornography.
Michael McLoughlin, Head of Communication and Advocacy with Youth Work Ireland, says the findings were "a lot more common among boys than girls" and that young people need to be educated on healthy relationships rather than just sex.
"What we're taking from it is the need to have the broader conversation and create a space for that, in the context of relationships and broader concepts."
Deborah Fakeye is a 17-year-old student who says the results of the report don't surprise her at all.
"I think when you talk about relationships, there are so many influences from pop culture and from friends and family."
"The lines are very blurred there, because what you might be seeing might not be what's most accurate in terms of what a healthy relationship should look like."
Roe McDermott, who has an MA in Sexuality Studies from San Francisco State University, says the survey shows that young people "want to talk about these issues, and they want to highlight that they know there are gaps in their education."
"By turning to the internet and pornography young people are expressing curiosity about sexuality, which is completely natural, but they're also expressing an inability to have these open conversations with their parents and teachers."
"Sex education needs to be proactive rather than reactive."
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