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A sexual behavioural expert who wants to teach primary school children how to masturbate has sparked outrage from viewers.

Kate Dawson appeared on This Morning opposite hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, where she explained how works with children, generally around the 11-year-old mark, to start conversations around the issue to make young people comfortable with their own bodies.

Speaking on the show about the ‘should eight-year-olds be taught masturbation’ tagline, Kate said: ‘I normally wouldn’t work with children as young as eight, generally it’d be around 11 years old, but in primary schools.

Kate Dawson has caused controversy (Picture: ITV)

‘Most of my work is in secondary schools, but when we do work in primary schools, I think it’s really important to start talking about how it’s normal to explore your own body in a private space, if that’s something you want to do, and that it can feel nice.




‘It’s because we’re meeting a lot of young girls particularly who are absolutely disgusted by their genitalia. We do this activity where we show a very realistic kind of illustration of the vulva and the penis. We take the penis out and there’s a big laugh, everyone finds it really funny, and then we take the vulva out, you sometimes hear, “Oh my god, that’s disgusting.”

‘I think there’s a lot of pressure on young girls to have genitals to look a certain way.’

Kate believes this outlook is through young people’s exposure to pornography, which creates unrealistic expectations of what male and female bodies should be.

‘We don’t get to see other people’s genitals ever,’ Kate said. ‘The only place we get to see other people’s genitals is porn and people in porn are hired because of the type of bodies they have.’

Asked why ‘self-pleasuring’ is important to teach, Kate replied: ‘It’s something that most people do and boys are definitely more comfortable talking about it.

Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford (Picture: ITV)

‘But when we’re talking about self-pleasure and what it’s like, and what might feel good for a person who has a vulva or a penis, it’s really important for the person of the opposite gender I guess, can have an idea of what it might be like.

‘Because sometimes we’re talking to young girls and they’re being really badly hurt by their partners who don’t understand you have to be quite gentle with that part of the body. Physically hurt. Where their vagina might be bruised or cut even.

‘Sometimes they just don’t want to make their partner feel bad because they don’t want to embarrass them so they don’t say anything. What we do, it’s really about giving people the skills so they can say, “this is what I like and this is what I don’t like.” And how to communicate that.’

While seemingly winning over Eamonn, viewers weren’t quite so sold on the idea.

8 year olds do not need to be taught to masturbate!!! Let them enjoy their innocence till high school at least #letkidsbekids #ThisMorning — Lindsey (@LindseysBack) January 18, 2019

For goodness sake keep children as children they grow up far too quickly now & 8 is far too young to be taught about sex & masturbation at school #ThisMorning — Arlene Woollard (@Arlene_HWycombe) January 18, 2019

This is just wrong ?? why does an 8 year old need to be taught this?! #ThisMorning pic.twitter.com/x06TfteqJn — ✨Chloe✨ (@MissChloeMarie_) January 18, 2019

Just leave kids to be kids …kids don’t need to know about wanking at 8yrs old ffs. #ThisMorning — AdeleEleda ? (@Adele2428) January 18, 2019

Or could it be a good idea?

#ThisMorning I think young girls should know that they can please themselves, so they can grow up and not have to accept unsatisfactory or unpleasant sexual experiences. They should also be taught that porn is fiction, and any boy thinking that's real should be avoided. — sweet mama chibi ?? (@whataclaire) January 18, 2019

You can catch This Morning weekdays on ITV at 10.30am.

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