Abuse among under-16s 'rising due to extreme porn'

Abuse among under-16s may be on the rise because of extreme pornography, an academic has said.

Dr Ruth Weir of City St George's, University of London, said extreme porn had been "normalised online" and was now "playing out in young people's relationships".

She believes the issue of abuse in under-16s is increasing. Meanwhile, research from the Children's Commissioner has shown that 27% of 11-year-olds have been exposed to porn.

Weir is now working with Gloucestershire Constabulary to look into the issue of domestic abuse among under-16s, with a view to tackling the problem nationally, following the announcement of research funding.

Weir and the force's Deputy Chief Constable Katy Barrow-Grint started the research project, which is being paid for by the Police STAR Fund, after they realised there was a "real gap" in abuse data when it comes to under-16s.

This is because under-16s fall outside of the statutory definition of domestic abuse, they said.

Barrow-Grint said the resulting lack of data means it is "difficult to understand" the problem.

But she said statistics show that 4% of all strangulations in Gloucestershire involve children under the age of 16.

"I suspect quite a lot of those are in peer-on-peer relationships," she said.

This age group is also involved in a fifth of all sexual offences in the county, she said.

"What we're seeing from a policing perspective, but also more widely, is all the hallmarks of domestic abuse are there from much younger ages than perhaps the law thinks it is," Barrow-Grint said.

The research project will involve analysing 10 years of data to understand the prevalence of abuse among under-16s.

Barrow-Grint said young people often define abusive relationships as "toxic relationships" or say they "haven't been getting on with" their partner, rather than using the term "abuse".

She said the evidence would be collated to create risk assessments for professionals who work with young people so they can "get the help they need moving forward".

"All the work we do here will become a project that we can take forward, impacting children across the country," Barrow-Grint said.

Weir, who is deputy director of the Violence and Society Centre at City St George's, University of London, has been working with Barrow-Grint for more than five years.

The academic pointed to a 2025 survey by the Youth Endowment Fund, a government-backed charity, which found that 39% of those aged 13 to 17 had experienced physical or emotional abuse in their relationships.

"Shining that light on what is going on will enable us to be able to design suitable services, not just for those who are experiencing the abuse, but also for those who are carrying it out as well," Weir said.

If you, or someone you know, may have been affected by abuse, please visit BBC Action Line to find information on organisations that can help.

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.