Over 100 quick stats and findings from an ever-growing body of research that details the effects of porn for individuals, relationships, and society.
While not all porn features physical violence, even non-violent porn has been shown to be associated with negative effects like increased sexual aggression
Research shows that mainstream porn featuring people of color often promotes racism by focusing on degrading stereotypes.
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.
While many LGBTQ+ youth turn to porn to learn more about their own sexuality, porn often fetishizes, misrepresents, and exploits LGBTQ+ people in damaging ways.
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.
Research shows that porn consumers are more likely to forward intimate images without consent. Researchers suggest this may be because regular porn consumers tend to develop sexually objectifying attitudes towards others.
1 in 3 underage teens report having seen nonconsensually shared nudes of other minors —which is legally considered “child pornography”.
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.
The Internet Watch Foundation recently reported that during 2020, approximately 44% of all child sexual abuse material reported to the IWF involved self-generated material. That’s a 16% increase from 2019 when only a third of reports involved self-generated imagery.
LGBTQ+ youth who are rejected because of their sexual orientation or gender identity are particularly vulnerable to potential psychological/emotional manipulation by traffickers or predators who may take advantage of them.
According to one report on domestic minor sex trafficking, survivors indicate that they were sometimes “advertised” on porn sites.
Results of a survey of young adults show that 1 in 4 (24.5%) listed pornography as the most helpful source to learn how to have sex.
Sex trafficking is a commercial sex act that is brought about by force, fraud, or coercion, or where someone under 18 is involved.
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.
The majority of young people are exposed to porn by the time they’re 13, according to research involving young people in the UK.
A UK survey found that 44% of males aged 11–16 who consumed pornography reported that online pornography gave them ideas about the type of sex they wanted to try.
According to a 2020 report, approximately 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys aged 13-17 report sharing their own nudes, despite the fact that those images are legally considered “child pornography”.
A 2021 study analyzed videos from popular porn sites and found that porn featuring Black people tends to perpetuate harmful racist stereotypes, disproportionately emphasize violence and aggression, and often depicts Black people as “worse than objects.”
If a porn performer is tricked, manipulated, or coerced during the production of porn, that is legally defined as sex trafficking.
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