Pornhub released the 2015 Pornhub Year In Review.
The reality of the digital age that we live in is that internet porn is more vast and varied than just about anything else that can be found on the internet. We are the first generation to be completely bombarded with graphic sexual material every time we hop online. Think about it, what other time in human history has there been unlimited access to videos of every sex act imaginable (and unimaginable) with the click of a button on a device that fits into our pockets? Never. That is why we are experiencing a very harmful “porn culture” that has consumed our society, making porn seem like part of every day life.
In 2015, porn has truly become mainstream. To see the reality of that statement, one needs to look no further than the annual report that mega porn site Pornhub releases at the end of every year. The site collects detailed analytics from their site and releases a “year in review” containing information like ‘Favorite Porn Star,’ ‘Most Popular Search Terms,’ and ‘Average Time Spent Ver Visit.’
Just look at the staggering amount of traffic, visitors, and bandwidth usage this porn site experienced in 2015 according to the 2015 Pornhub Year In Review:
That’s right. People spent 4.3 billion hours on Pornhub last year, which means 21.2 BILLION visitors watched 87.8 billion videos. Pornhub boasts that this figure equates to if every single human being on the planet (man, woman, teen, child, infant) viewed 12 videos each.
But we knew that lots of people watch porn. It seems to be completely normalized in our society today, so it’s no surprise that these massive porn archives are getting insane amounts of traffic. What’s really concerning is what these viewers are watching while they are there.
So what is the top most searched porn term in 2015?
Yes, you read that right. ‘Step mom’ is the subject of the most searched porn in the U.S. for the year of 2015.
This means that there is a massive porn genre dedicated entirely to women who look like mothers and are somehow related to the male on screen. Not only is this a disturbing scenario, it’s just plain weird. It’s also equally, if not more disturbing to point out that the term ‘step sister’ is not far below at #7 on the list of most searched porn.
And not surprisingly, Pornhub seemingly takes pride in its users’ deviant tastes, saying in their annual report: “Family favorite ‘step mom and son’ jumped an astonishing 71 places, making it the 15th most searched term on Pornhub, in the world.”
Now, after seeing this data, here is what people should be thinking about: if millions of people across the globe are constantly searching and viewing porn involving these basically incestuous scenarios, what do you think it is doing to their sexual tastes and expectations? Is it fair to assume that this massive viewing and demand for the “step mom” and “step sister” genre is making the porn user think that sex with family members is okay? Or that if you are not technically related to someone, that it is somehow easier to have sex with them?
Due to the science and research on porn’s effects on rearranging and rewiring people’s sexual template, we can tell you that this is a concerning trend to be seeing about our society. Unfortunately, porn has become a powerful and common version of sex education for many people. And what’s dangerous is that this distorted form of education is being delivered in a way perfectly tailored to how our brains learn. Here’s how:
Studies have shown that images are an especially powerful teacher, since they can pack in a whole lot of information that the viewer can understand very quickly. And while words are often interpreted as opinions, our brains are more likely to interpret images as facts; after all, it’s a lot harder to argue with something you’re seeing happen right in front of you. Now here’s the kicker: research has shown that our brains learn better when they’re sexually aroused. When you add in the focused concentration of searching through pornographic images to find exactly what the user is looking for, and reinforcing what’s being taught with the reward of sexual climax, it creates the perfect conditions for teaching and conditioning the brain.
“It’s sad,” said Dr. Gary Brooks, a renowned psychologist at Texas A&M who specializes in studies on porn’s negative effect on men. “Boys who are initiated in sex through these images become indoctrinated in a way that can potentially stay with them for the rest of their lives.”
Well there you have it. Pornography is literally cultivating a generation of people who find the concept of step family members to be the most sought after object for sexual arousal.
Sound like a world you want to live in?
Not us.
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Most kids today are exposed to porn by the age of 12. By the time they’re teenagers, 75% of boys and 70% of girls have already viewed itRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy —often before they’ve had a single healthy conversation about it.
Even more concerning: over half of boys and nearly 40% of girls believe porn is a realistic depiction of sexMartellozzo, E., Monaghan, A., Adler, J. R., Davidson, J., Leyva, R., & Horvath, M. A. H. (2016). “I wasn’t sure it was normal to watch it”: A quantitative and qualitative examination of the impact of online pornography on the values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of children and young people. Middlesex University, NSPCC, & Office of the Children’s Commissioner.Copy . And among teens who have seen porn, more than 79% of teens use it to learn how to have sexRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy . That means millions of young people are getting sex ed from violent, degrading content, which becomes their baseline understanding of intimacy. Out of the most popular porn, 33%-88% of videos contain physical aggression and nonconsensual violence-related themesFritz, N., Malic, V., Paul, B., & Zhou, Y. (2020). A descriptive analysis of the types, targets, and relative frequency of aggression in mainstream pornography. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(8), 3041-3053. doi:10.1007/s10508-020-01773-0Copy Bridges et al., 2010, “Aggression and Sexual Behavior in Best-Selling Pornography Videos: A Content Analysis,” Violence Against Women.Copy .
From increasing rates of loneliness, depression, and self-doubt, to distorted views of sex, reduced relationship satisfaction, and riskier sexual behavior among teens, porn is impacting individuals, relationships, and society worldwideFight the New Drug. (2024, May). Get the Facts (Series of web articles). Fight the New Drug.Copy .
This is why Fight the New Drug exists—but we can’t do it without you.
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