For F**k’s Sake: let’s get honest about porn

Challenge

Porn consumption was shaping how a generation understood sex and relationships, yet mainstream media and policymakers were reluctant to engage with the topic due to stigma, editorial risk, and sensationalism. LADbible sought to break through resistance, reframe the narrative responsibly, and elevate the conversation from taboo to public interest—while influencing both media and policy audiences.

Approach:

  • Developed an earned-first, story-led media strategy anchored in original research with 5,300 UK 18–29-year-olds

  • Reframed porn from a moral debate to an evidence-based issue of wellbeing, education, and policy relevance

  • Built a sensitive, non-sensational narrative focused on lived experience, expert insight, and nuance

  • Deployed a phased media rollout to build editorial trust over time rather than chasing a single spike

  • Activated a credible spokesperson mix including public figures, charities, experts, and young people with lived experience

  • Adapted pitches in real time to overcome initial media resistance and align with evolving news agendas

  • Extended impact beyond headlines by supporting journalist engagement around a House of Lords discussio

Impact:

  • 134 earned media placements across top-tier national, lifestyle, and broadcast outlets including The Guardian, BBC Radio 4, Cosmopolitan, This Morning, Lorraine, and MailOnline

  • 187.4 million total reach and 2.3 million social video views

  • 371% YoY increase in neutral-sentiment coverage around porn

  • 28% YoY decrease in negative stories about adult creators

  • 15% YoY increase in porn policy-focused media conversations

  • Engagement with MPs and ministers, including discussions at the House of Lords

  • Invitation for LADbible to participate in the UK government’s first Men & Boys Health Summit

  • Established long-term editorial trust, converting more than 100 journalists into ongoing advocates

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Porn is educating our kids about sex – are we OK with that?