Protecting children and young people from online harms.

What is The Yellow Wood Project?

A pioneering not-for-profit organisation that is working to combine a structured approach to behaviour change with systems thinking to develop psychologically-informed, evidence-based interventions to support children and young people in their sexual and social development.

• Exposure to online pornography is widespread and begins young. A May 2025 survey by England’s Children’s Commissioner found 70% of 16–21-year-olds had seen porn before 18 (up from 64% in 2023); 27% by age 11. The average age of first exposure is 13.

 

• Most had encountered depictions of illegal acts such as strangulation and rape, often unintentionally. UNICEF warns early exposure—especially to abusive or misogynistic content—normalizes harmful behavior and harms mental health, a warning similarly given in the February 2025 UK Independent Pornography Review and supported by the Commissioner’s findings.

 

• Pornography is not limited to pornography sites. Minors often access it via mainstream platforms and social media.

 

• Age verification laws may slow access, but many young people circumvent them, as seen when VPN apps topped UK downloads as major platforms introduced checks in July 2025.

 

• Exposure also extends to child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In a 2022 survey of darknet forums, 70% of respondents first saw CSAM before 18, 40% before 13, and over half said their first encounter was accidental.

 

At The Yellow Wood Project, we recognize the complexity of the online world that children are navigating during critical stages of development. Many with troubling sexual thoughts neither wish to act on them nor should face stigma. When children struggle with harmful thoughts or behaviours, two roads diverge. Our mission is to help them take the right one—because that choice makes all the difference.