Over 100 quick stats and findings from an ever-growing body of research that details the effects of porn for individuals, relationships, and society.
Increased pornography consumption is linked to men’s enjoyment of degrading, uncommon, or aggressive sexual behaviors.
Nearly 1 in 5 sexually active 16- to 17-year-olds said they had either asked or been asked to incorporate acts from porn into their sexual experiences, according to a 2020 report from the UK.
According to a 2016 study, people who view porn regularly are less likely to get married than those who do not. Researchers suggest this may be because consumers see porn as a substitute for sexual gratification in a relationship.
Research shows that “teen” is one of the most consistently popular porn themes, and that this theme is 1) becoming increasingly popular, and 2) includes the portrayal of underage characters.
Research shows remarkable neurological similarities between substance addiction and compulsive pornography consumption.
One study shows that approximately 45% of teens who consumed porn did so in part to learn about sex.
Research shows that even individuals who are accepting of pornography tend to experience psychological distress when their own partners consume pornography.
Desensitization, or a numbed pleasure response, has been shown to happen in cases of pornography consumption.
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.
Some frequent porn consumers can become so accustomed to the exaggerated forms of sex they see in porn, that they may have a difficult time becoming aroused in real-life sexual encounters unless porn is also present.
While not all porn features physical violence, even non-violent porn has been shown to be associated with negative effects like increased sexual aggression
Reports show that those who sexually abuse children often show their victims porn to groom them or normalize sexual abuse.
Research shows that people who consume porn tend to later experience lower relationship satisfaction.
Research shows that porn consumption is a significant predictor of sexual entitlement.
While most porn consumers are generally unconcerned about the potential mistreatment of porn performers, about 70% of porn consumers who do learn about mistreatment in the porn industry take some form of action to combat it, including changing their porn habits.
44.6% of underage sex trafficking victims experienced childhood sexual abuse before entry into the commercial sex industry.
Even quitting porn for a short time can lessen its negative effects and have positive effects on consumers' lives and relationships.
Porn is considered a supernormal stimulus.
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.
According to a 2021 study, only 5.94% of porn-consuming respondents said that they watched porn because of a "lack of sexual satisfaction." In other words, the vast majority of porn consumers are watching porn for reasons other than their partner not being "enough."
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