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Pornography and healthy relationships

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can describe the laws around pornography and explain how pornography can cause harm.

Key learning points

  1. An adult sharing pornography with a person who is under 18 is illegal.
  2. Creating or sharing sexual images of under-18s is always illegal.
  3. Pornography often shows unrealistic and unhealthy relationship behaviour.
  4. Regular pornography viewing can create harmful expectations about sex and relationships.
  5. Support is available for anyone concerned about their pornography viewing habits from trusted adults and charities.

Keywords

  • Pornography - videos or images showing naked or semi-naked people engaging in sexual acts

  • Illegal - when something is against the law

  • Unrealistic - when something is not like real life

  • Addictive - something that can cause a loss of control, making you want to keep doing it even when it becomes harmful to you

Common misconception

The bodies seen in pornography are realistic.

Pornography often presents highly edited, staged or surgically enhanced bodies.

Teacher tip

You might want to check your RSHE policy or speak to your RSHE lead before teaching this lesson.

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction or discussion of sexual content

Depiction or discussion of sexual violence

Depiction or discussion of sexual violence

Depiction or discussion of sexual content

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Personal information that tells people something about us includes ...

Correct answer: name
Correct answer: date of birth
Correct answer: address
Correct answer: email address
favourite online games

Q2.
An email with an offer that is too good to be true is often a sign of a ...

Correct Answer: scam, phishing, phishing scam

Q3.
Cybercriminals may use a false to access someone’s personal information.

Correct Answer: identity, details, data

Q4.
Match the words to the correct definition.

Correct Answer:targeted advert,an advert aimed at someone because of what they might like

an advert aimed at someone because of what they might like

Correct Answer:harassment,when someone repeatedly bothers, bullies or disturbs another person

when someone repeatedly bothers, bullies or disturbs another person

Correct Answer:valuable,when something is worth a lot of money

when something is worth a lot of money

Q5.
Consequences of phishing and scams can include:

Correct answer: account hacks
Correct answer: online theft
Correct answer: exploitation
increased online safety

Q6.
In the UK, it is a criminal offence for someone under the age of to share a nude image of themselves.

Correct Answer: 18, 18 years old, eighteen, eighteen years old

6 Questions

Q1.
Pornography is often a realistic representation of healthy intimate relationships.

Correct Answer: not

Q2.
An adult sharing pornography with a person who is under 18 is ...

Correct Answer: illegal

Q3.
A pupil says "The bodies I see in pornography show me what typical bodies look like." What would be the most accurate response?

"You're right - pornography shows typical body types."
Correct answer: "Pornography often shows edited, staged or surgically enhanced bodies."
"Don't worry about this, it doesn't matter as long as you enjoy watching."

Q4.
Regularly watching unrealistic pornography can be harmful; reliable places to seek advice regarding this include:

Correct answer: a trusted adult
Correct answer: a medical professional
Correct answer: a relationship charity
a teenage friend

Q5.
Match the terms to their definitions.

Correct Answer:pornography,videos or images showing people engaging in sexual acts

videos or images showing people engaging in sexual acts

Correct Answer:illegal,when something is against the law

when something is against the law

Correct Answer:addictive,something that makes you want to keep doing it even when its harmful

something that makes you want to keep doing it even when its harmful

Q6.
How can regular viewing of pornography potentially harm someone's understanding of relationships?

It always teaches important relationship skills.
Correct answer: It often creates unrealistic expectations about healthy relationships.
It always helps people communicate better with intimate partners.
It always shows healthy examples of consent.

To help you plan your 9 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Pornography and healthy relationships, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...