Many people contact Fight the New Drug to share their personal stories about how porn has affected their life or the life of a loved one. We consider these personal accounts very valuable because, while the science and research is powerful within its own right, personal accounts from real people seem to really hit home about the damage that pornography does to real lives.
This woman's story shows how porn can drive a wedge between partners and push their physical interactions to be more about performance than connection. While porn will not turn every consumer into an abuser, the connection between violence and porn cannot be ignored.
If you are in a domestically violent situation, don’t wait to get help. The Domestic Violence Hotline advocates are available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) in more than 200 languages. All calls are free and confidential. Visit TheHotline.com for more information.
I just wanted to thank you so much for everything you’re doing. So many people don’t know the harmful effects porn can have on consumers and their loved ones.
I was first exposed to porn at age 15 by my first boyfriend, and I had no idea the impact it would have on my life for the next six years. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but he told me that he watched it several times a day and that he often thought about the girls he saw in it.
Later on in the relationship, he started asking me to do extremely graphic things on camera and over the phone with him, and if I wouldn’t, he would watch porn and then tell me about it and apologize for watching it. It became his way of punishing me—if I didn’t do what he wanted, he watched other girls. If I did, he’d watch me. I longed for him to want me, and if I said no to him, he’d either watch porn, keep asking until I gave in, or harm himself, so eventually, I started to do what he asked.
Toward the end of the relationship, when his obsession with porn seemed to be at an all-time high, he began to get more and more controlling. He sexually assaulted me once and attempted to assault me several other times sexually.
He finally left me when I began developing PTSD from the assault, and he said he couldn’t handle it. I was devastated and didn’t know where I could turn, so I turned to porn. Watching violent porn comforted me and helped me cope for whatever reason, and I ended up watching it several times a week for several years.
I felt empty, alone, and depressed, but I didn’t know why.
I’d try confiding in others to see if anyone else felt as empty as I did after watching porn, but the people I talked to told me that porn was no big deal and that I was silly for letting it upset me. I didn’t know anyone else who felt the same way as I did, and I thought I was crazy until I found FTND. It’s honestly overwhelming and encouraging to know I’m not alone in the hurt and struggle. I can never thank you enough. I’ve found encouragement in the stories you’ve shared.
Keep on fighting!
–P.
Not an isolated issue
A few years ago, a team of researchers looked at 50 of the most popular porn films—the ones purchased and rented most often. Of the 304 scenes the movies contained, 88% contained physical violence, and 49% contained verbal aggression. On average, only 1 scene in 10 did not contain any aggression. The typical scene averaged 12 physical or verbal attacks. One particularly disturbing scene managed to fit in 128.
But that’s not the only way porn is connected to violence. An analysis of 33 different studies found that exposure to non-violent porn measurably increased aggressive behavior and that viewing violent porn increased even further. These effects include having violent sexual fantasies, which can lead to actually committing violent assaults. Not surprisingly, the more violent the porn, the more likely the consumer is to support and act out in violence.
Of course, not every porn consumer will become an abuser. However, this doesn’t mean that pornography consumption isn’t associated with a wave of violence on a massive scale.
The vast majority of the porn viewed by millions of people every day is teaching that humiliation and violence are a normal part of what sex is supposed to be—and that education is changing what happens in bedrooms around the world. It’s making it more challenging for many consumers to feel aroused. They often need to do what they’ve seen in porn. This pressure leaves their partners feeling like they have to play along. The more porn portrays aggression as part of sex, the more it normalizes and makes violence invisible in relationships.
We fight because we can’t ignore what research is telling us about how porn is harming relationships and fueling domestic violence. Join us in speaking out about the real harms of porn and fighting for real love.
If you are in a domestically violent situation, don’t wait. Get help. The Domestic Violence Hotline advocates are available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) in more than 200 languages. All calls are free and confidential. Visit TheHotline.com for more information.
Your Support Matters Now More Than Ever
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.
Your donation directly fuels the creation of new educational resources, including our awareness-raising videos, podcasts, research-driven articles, engaging school presentations, and digital tools that reach youth where they are: online and in school. It equips individuals, parents, educators, and youth with trustworthy resources to start the conversation.
Will you join us? We’re grateful for whatever you can give—but a recurring donation makes the biggest difference. Every dollar directly supports our vital work, and every individual we reach decreases sexual exploitation. Let’s fight for real love: