We’re watching it on the bus, the tube, on the plane instead of inflight entertainment.

We’re watching it at the office, at home when we’re supposed to be working.

We’re watching it at school. We’re even watching it in Parliament.

And with minimal content moderation, mainstream porn sites proudly display ever more extreme content, whether you’re searching for it or not.

The consequences are substantial. Non-consensual porn is ruining women’s lives – a threat only magnified by deepfakes and AI. It’s distorting our most intimate relationships. An entire generation’s sexual education is being delivered via Pornhub; fantasies moulded and manipulated by degrading, misogynistic and racist ideals, normalising sexual violence.

This isn’t just any porn, it’s patriarchal porn. And it’s everywhere. If we want to reclaim our sexual freedom and achieve true gender equality, we have to confront this now.

Clare McGlynn is a Professor of Law at the University of Durham. A leading voice on women’s rights, sexual violence and the regulation of pornography and online abuse in the UK, she has appeared on BBC Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4 Today and ITV news and her work has been featured in The Sunday Times and New York Times. In 2020 she was appointed an honorary KC in recognition of her work championing equality for women in the legal profession.