Over 100 quick stats and findings from an ever-growing body of research that details the effects of porn for individuals, relationships, and society.
If a porn performer is tricked, manipulated, or coerced during the production of porn, that is legally defined as sex trafficking.
Research indicates that “hidden cam” videos are a common theme on porn sites, making it difficult to determine which videos are consensual and which are not.
Reports show that those who sexually abuse children often show their victims porn to groom them or normalize sexual abuse.
Research suggests that frequent porn consumers are more likely to victim-blame survivors of sexual violence.
Studies show that people who consume porn frequently are more likely to support sexual violence.
Longitudinal, qualitative research has found that young people's narratives surrounding anal sex often encourage coercion, pain, and other risky behaviors, and that they often attribute these narratives to pornography, as it can normalize sexual behaviors and attitudes.
Of domestic minor trafficking victims who had been forced into porn production, the average age they began being filmed was 12.8 years old.
Researchers have found that representations of step-relationships in porn titles were actually less common than depictions of blood relationships, with the majority of incest-themed titles describing sexual activity between immediate family members.
Sex trafficking is a commercial sex act that is brought about by force, fraud, or coercion, or where someone under 18 is involved.
1 in 12 U.S. adults report that they have been victims of image-based abuse —sometimes called “revenge porn—and 1 in 20 report that they have been perpetrators of image-based abuse.
Qualitative research with current and former porn performers suggests that sexual exploitation and trafficking are common experiences in the porn industry.
According to one survey of nonconsensual pornography victims, 51% reported having suicidal thoughts due to the image-based abuse, and 93% reported experiencing severe emotional distress.
Nearly half of porn scenes (48.7%) contained verbal aggression, according to a study of popular porn videos.
44.6% of underage sex trafficking victims experienced childhood sexual abuse before entry into the commercial sex industry.
According to a report of prosecuted sex trafficking cases in the U.S., the majority of coercive tactics used by traffickers (59%) were non-physical, compared to 41% of tactics involving physical coercion.
Researchers have found that approximately 95% of the targets of violence or aggression in porn appeared either neutral to the abuse, or were depicted as responding with pleasure.
Research shows that porn consumption is a significant predictor of sexual entitlement.
Qualitative research reveals that young women often feel pressured to play out the “scripts” their male partners had learned from porn —they feel badgered into having sex in uncomfortable positions, faking sexual responses, and consenting to unpleasant or painful acts.
Research suggests that frequent porn consumers are more likely to express an intent to rape.
Findings of a qualitative study indicated that teens often reported trying to copy porn in their own sexual encounters, and that the pressure to imitate porn was often an aspect of unhealthy relationships.
©Fight the New Drug, Inc. 2025, All rights Reserved. Fight the New Drug is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 26-3550143
Fight the New Drug, PO Box 522378, Salt Lake City, UT 84152 | Fight the New Drug is a part of the PHASE Alliance™.
