‘Desensitised’: calls for better education after research suggests Victorian boys less likely to stop harassment

Research found 20% of Year 7 boys and 13% of Year 9 boys would intervene if someone else was being sexually harassed. Photograph: Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

Chanel Contos, a sexual consent education advocate, says teenagers may be getting so desensitised to porn that it’s affecting their reaction to sexual harassment, with research suggesting male students become less likely to intervene when a female classmate is targeted as they reach Year 9.

The study of Victorian school students by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (Anrows), released on Wednesday, found that 20.2% of Year 7 boys intended to intervene when sexual harassment was taking place. However, just 12.8% of those in Year 9 shared that attitude.