Pornography is becoming more socially acceptable and more viewed by adults and children than ever before.
14 % of senior pastors and 21% of youth pastors struggle with using pornography, according to a new survey commissioned by Josh McDowell ministries in the US.
The study also found that 43% of 13-17 year olds actively seek pornography on at least a monthly basis. Over twice as many young adults aged 25-30 first viewed pornography before puberty than the generation before; 27% of 25-30s said they were first exposed to it before puberty, compared to 13% from Generation X.
Another poll commissioned by the NSPCC found that 1 in 5 children aged 12 to 13 think watching porn is normal behaviour, and 1 in 10 was worried that they might have become addicted to pornography.
In Westminster "it is easier for a politician to admit to smoking weed or watching porn" than it is to admit that they take faith seriously, said the Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb MP at the CCF's Wilberforce Address last December.
The Conservative Manifesto in 2015 made it clear that pornography is harmful to children. It pledges to stop children's exposure to harmful sexualised content online, by requiring age verification for access to all sites containing pornographic material and age-rating for all music videos.
Sky, one of the UK’s largest internet service providers, announced it will block all porn and adult content by default for new users in December 2015.
Baronness Howe's Online Safety Bill seeks to go one step further by introducing a robust system of age-verification so if anyone tried to turn the internet filters off, they would have to prove they were 18 or over. The bill was debated in the House of Lords in July 2015 and passed Committee Stage in December 2015.
Lord McColl of Dulwich, Conservative Peer and a patron of the CCF, said in the debate that he "strongly supports the Bill... It is the desire of every parent to see their child flourish and develop to their fullest potential in a way that is safe and enjoyable."
Naked Truth, flagship project of the charity Visible Ministries, aims to open eyes and free lives from the damaging impact of pornography through awareness, education and recovery programmes. Naked Truth's team of communicators, educators and therapists work nationally to inform, inspire and to provide practical support to men, women and young people.
Ian Henderson, founder and CEO of Visible Ministries will be speaking on pornography and online safety at our February Prayers for the Nations service.
To find out more and RSVP to our Prayers for the Nation services, please contact ccf@conservatives.com