The Facts

Let’s cut the BS and get down to the facts. Here are the most important, up-to-date facts and figures about porn consumption and its impact, collated from trusted sources only.

PORNHUB In 2019¹ https://www.pornhub.com/insights/2019-year-in-review¹

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

dec

Jan

Visits to the world’s leading porn site totalled at 42 billion

(for perspective - that number is roughly 5 x the world's population).

That works out as a staggering 115 million visits per day, and 80,032 visits per minute.

6.83 million videos were uploaded onto the site

In 2020

TraffickingHub led a worldwide campaign against Pornhub, gathering 2 million + signatures from around the globe and gaining support from over 600 international companies.²² ² https://www.traffickinghubpetition.com/

In 2021

Thanks to the campaign, Pornhub was forced to delete all non consensual content. That tallied up to a shocking approx. 9 million videos³³ https://cease.org.uk/traffickinghub/

This set off a chain reaction of women coming forward. The result: a string of global lawsuits against Pornhub, for hosting content of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking.

Sex

Trafficking

?

Trafficking

774%

Between 2005 - 2011, as our homes (and phones) became powered by highspeed internet.

The amount of child pornography found online rose by 774% i. ⁵ ⁵ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Child Victim Identification Program

12-13

Children are being forced into porn on average as young as 12-13. ⁶ ⁶ Bouché, V. (2018). Survivor insights: The role of technology in domestic minor sex trafficking. Thorn. Retrieved from https://www.thorn.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Thorn_Survivor_Insights_090519.pdf

47-49%

In one survey, 49% of women said they were working as prostitutes when they first appeared in online porn, and 47% said they were forced into the sex acts that were uploaded online. ⁷ ⁷ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
279716838_Prostitution_and_Trafficking_in_9_Countries
_Update_on_Violence_and_
Posttraumatic_Stress_Disorder

How does watching porn support

sex trafficking?

The more porn that’s consumed

The more the human brain is desensitised to stimuli

Extreme and / or violent porn becomes necessary for arousal

This boosts the demand for illicit content

And sex trafficking rates go up ^{8 9 10}

⁸ Gervais, S. J., & Eagan, S. (2017). Sexual objectification: The common thread connecting myriad forms of sexual violence against women. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 87(3), 226–232. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000257

⁹ Demand Abolition. (2018). Who buys sex? understanding and disrupting illicit market demand. Retrieved from https://www.demandabolition.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Demand-Buyer-Report-July-2019.pdf

¹⁰ Herrington, R., & McEachern, P. (2018). “Breaking her spirit” through objectification, fragmentation, and consumption: A conceptual framework for understanding domestic sex trafficking. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 27, 1-14. doi:10.1080/10926771.2017.1420723

John-Henry Westen

editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews

“As long as men are being trained to think that violent, disturbing pornography is sexually acceptable, an enormous clientele for sex traffickers is being created every day in homes, college dorms, and apartments across the nation.”

The Dark Side of the Porn Industry

Teens and Porn

Ever wondered how young kids are getting exposed to porn?

Studies show that in the USA, 38% of men first viewed porn before they turned 12 ¹¹ ¹¹ https://www.provenmen.org/pornography-survey-statistics-2014/

In the UK, 40% of boys between 14 and 17 said they tune into porn regularly ¹² ¹² https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-32115162

Teenagers who watch porn frequently can… ¹⁴ ¹⁴ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10720162.2012.660431?casa_token=zWSwq9_fLz8AAAAA:imJGSktU6zA3O2vzpGEkmCfRTiYL4D66_xZl5dKwhMs5rCAJIIItZDA81r3Ds-wxbqCyQ0g2-NI

Develop sexist attitudes

End up acting out the violent sex scenes they’ve watched online

Develop insecurities around their body image

Experience symptoms of depression

Develop low self esteem

Lack social confidence, and start withdrawing socially

Show less emotional bonding with their parents/caregivers

Religion and Porn

What’s the link between porn consumption and how religious you are?

55

%

What happens when sex is a taboo?

55% of Christian men (and 67% born-again Christians) in the USA who watch porn said they weren’t comfortable talking to their parents about sex while growing up. ¹⁵ This explains why they might get into porn at an early age, to find out what sex is all about. ¹⁵ https://www.provenmen.org/pornography-survey-statistics-2014/

6/10

Stricter Religion, more consumption

The stricter the religion is, the more alluring porn viewing can become. 6 of the 10 countries which ranked highest for porn searches on Google were Islamic states, where porn is forbidden. ¹⁶ https://wikiislam.githuzb.io/wiki/Muslim_Statistics_-_Pornography.html#cite_note-1

In a study with muslim men

in Britain

When something prevented the men from watching porn, 73% said they felt relieved that they had avoided sinning. ¹⁸ ¹⁸ https://inspiritedminds.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IM-Research-Report-Pornography.pdf

69

%

felt depressed

83

%

felt shame after they watched porn

52

%

felt sick ¹⁷ ¹⁷https://inspiritedminds.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IM-Research-Report-Pornography.pdf

Overall, porn viewing causes young people to lose connection with their faith; the more porn they watch, the more their belief and religious practice declines. ¹⁹ ¹⁹ Seeing is (Not) Believing: How Viewing Pornography Shapes the Religious Lives of Young Americans. Samuel L. Perry and George M. Hayward

Marriage and Porn

How does porn viewing affect married life?

40

%

Sex addiction is a main trigger for marital breakdown and divorce for 40% of self-identified addicts.. ²⁰ ²⁰ Mary Anne Layden, Ph.D. (Center for Cognitive Therapy, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania), Testimony for U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, November 18, 2004, 2.

300

%

In marriages where one (or both) of the partners is watching porn, infidelity is 300% more likely to happen ²¹ ²¹ Steven Stack, Ira Wasserman, and Roger Kern, “Adult Social Bonds and Use of Internet Pornography,” Social Science Quarterly 85 (2004): 75-88.

68

%

68% + divorce cases involve one partner meeting a lover online, and 56% of divorces are triggered by an ‘obsessive interest’ in online porn. ²² ²² “The Effects of Pornography on Individuals, Marriage, Family, and Community,” by Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D., psychologist, and former Deputy Assistant Health and Human Services Secretary.

Covid and Porn

How have people’s porn habits changed during the pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic has limited possibilities for casual sex and other behaviors, making individuals lean to pornography as the most accessible, affordable, and anonymous alternative. ²³

On 17th March 2020, traffic on Pornhub went up by 11.6% (relative to the average number of visits for that time of year) as the first of the lockdowns began. ²³ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8007884/

Pornhub offered free premium membership to users in the first three countries that went into lockdown, and visiting traffic skyrocketed:
‍
VPN usage increased by 160% between 8th - 22nd March 2020 in countries that were hit hardest by the pandemic, which also correlates with the traffic surge on Pornhub. ²⁵ ²⁵ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8007884/

²⁴ https://www.pornhub.com/insights/corona-virus

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Billy Ray

INfluencer

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.”

Men VS Women

How differently do men and women think about porn?

In the UK, 55% of men aged 18-25 said porn was their main source of sex education, compared to 34% of women of that age group.

In the same survey, 50% of women thought porn dehumanises women. ²⁶ ²⁶ [ 2019 BBC survey; 1000 men and women aged 18-25] https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/porn-laid-bare

Why do we get so aroused by porn that

we can’t get enough of it?

Because of a biological program called the Coolidge Effect in the brain:

sexual novelty (new potential partners, even onscreen) = genetic opportunity to procreate

When a man views the same porn clip on repeat, his level of arousal goes down with each viewing. Show him new erotic content, and arousal goes up. ²⁷ ²⁷ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10846806/

Watching novel content with different actors will even lead to an increase in ejaculation ²⁸ ²⁸ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40806-015-0022-8

There’s also proof that for men, the Coolidge Effect increases with age. ²⁹ ²⁹ Hughes, S. M., Aung, T., Harrison, M. A., LaFayette, J. N., & Gallup, G. G., Jr. (2021). Experimental evidence for sex differences in sexual variety preferences: Support for the Coolidge effect in humans. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50, 495-509.

Overall, men are programmed to seek more short term ‘potential mates’ ³⁰ than women, which is reflected in their porn habits. ³⁰ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-020-01730-x

Porn Induced Erectile Dysfunction

'Other than the advent of streaming porn [in] 2006, no other variable related to youthful ED has appreciably changed in the last 10-20 years' Gary Wilson

How do ED rates compare around the globe?

Canada

53%

³⁶http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsm.12419/abstract

US

33%

³⁴https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25267600

UK

50%

³⁹https://www.atomikresearch.co.uk/50-of-male-brits-in-their-30s-suffer-erectile-problems/

Ireland

28%

³⁸https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27320034

Brazil

35%

³²https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19889149

Switzerland

30%

³¹https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22727073

Croatia

40%

³⁷http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsm.12853/abstract

Italy

25%

³³https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23651423

Between 2014 and 2016 in a longitudinal study with³⁸ 16-21 year old men in Canada: ³⁸ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27320034

47.9% reported low sexual satisfaction
46.2% said their mojo had gone downy experienced low desire
45.3% had ED or other sexual dysfuznctions

UK - 2018 50% men in 30s had ED³⁹ ³⁹ ³⁹ https://www.atomikresearch.co.uk/50-of-male-brits-in-their-30s-suffer-erectile-problems/

31% felt the ED had caused a strain on their relationship
31% even broken up with a partner because of it
25% lost confidence when dating
21% suffered mental health problems as a result

How are these ED rates related to porn use?

1992

ED rates

In the USA in 1992 (before the days of high-speed internet) ED rates among sexually active men aged between 18-59 was at a 5% average rate, and a slightly higher 7% for men between 18-29.

2001

ED rates

In 2001/2002, the ED rates for men in Europe aged 40-80 were around 13%. A decade later in 2011, with porn streaming sites and high-speed wifi widely available, ED rates for guys aged 18 - 40 around Europe ranged from 14% to 28%.

2011

ED rates

The higher the rates of internet access = the higher the ED rates In a 2011 study with men in Croatia, Norway and Portugal, the men in Portugal showed the lowest rates of ED, and the Norwegians had the highest. At the time, internet penetration rates were 67% in Portugal ⁴⁰ compared with 95% in Norway. ⁴⁰ https://www.internetworldstats.com/list2.htm

Struggling with PIED? Here are some tips for telling your girlfriend.

Porn Addiction Explained:
What makes it an addiction?

Porn trains your brain to need everything associated with porn to get aroused [...] Conditioning [...] arousal patterns to ongoing, ever changing novelty.’ Gary Wilson

Classic sex addiction

Classic sex addiction is driven by 'trauma, abuse, disordered attachment, impulse control impairment, shame based cognitions, mood disorders'.

Contemporary sex addiction

Contemporary sex addiction is caused by 'early and chronic exposure to graphic cybersexual content within a highly sexualised culture drives sexual compulsivity ⁴¹ ⁴¹ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10720162.2013.843067?journalCode=usac20#preview

Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD) is now officially recognised as a medical condition, featuring in the WHO International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an impulse control disorder.

Common signs of CSBD include:

Compulsive masturbation (38-83%)
Compulsive porn use (34-72%) Porn

Porn has the capacity to be addictive partly because of the ‘Triple A Effect’:

Accessibility - Affordability - Anonymity

These are common symptoms with all kinds of addiction, which also appear with compulsive porn use:

Impaired control (cravings, and the inability to resist urges)
Losing interest in other activities and other areas of life
Continued use despite negative effects)