Is it ever ok to watch porn in public?

Is it ever ok to watch porn in public? Recently there has been a surge in people watching explicit content in public spaces, such as the London Tube, and getting arrested for it. I took a survey to find out whether people think it’s ok to watch porn in public or not. 

Reports have shown that arrests made by British police for public indecency in the form of watching porn in public has tripled in the past year. Why has there been such an increase in public porn watching? Is it ever ok to do it, and if so why?

I set up a survey on my website last week to find out. It turns out a whopping 43% of people believe it’s ok to watch porn in public and 45% of those that said yes also confess to having watched porn in public.

Where are people watching porn?

Out of everyone who watches porn in public, the most popular spots include the office at work, in a park or other public space – or just wherever you like! Fewer people preferred to watch it on public transport, although the tube or bus is better than at a cafe or bar.

There are quite  a few reasons why people believe it’s ok to watch porn in public. Some believe that as long as it doesn’t offend them, it shouldn’t offend other people. Many believe they have the right to watch whatever they want, wherever they want. There are of course those that simply get off on the idea, and enjoy the thrill of breaking the law.

Getting caught

It turns out that only 16% of people have been caught watching porn in public. 65% of people have never been caught whilst the rest are unsure. Despite the low cases of those being caught, the police are now encouraging everyone to report cases if they see them. Watching porn in public counts as public indecency. It makes the people around you feel awkward, can be harmful to families and children that might accidentally see, and isn’t worth the risk of getting a criminal record.

I have a hard time myself with porn in public. I use twitter for my work, and my news feed is full of porn. It can be a battle of reflexes opening my twitter app, and clicking on notifications before any pictures of videos from the home screen load!

Read more about my results in this DailyStar article I helped with.