Over 100 quick stats and findings from an ever-growing body of research that details the effects of porn for individuals, relationships, and society.
Even quitting porn for a short time can lessen its negative effects and have positive effects on consumers' lives and relationships.
A 2016 meta-analysis of 22 studies from seven countries found that internationally, the consumption of pornography was significantly associated with increases in sexual aggression, both verbally and physically among males and females alike.
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."
Research has demonstrated that overcoming a pornography habit is absolutely possible, and that over time, pornography’s negative effects can be managed and largely reversed.
44.6% of underage sex trafficking victims experienced childhood sexual abuse before entry into the commercial sex industry.
Studies show that frequent porn consumers are more likely to carry out sexual violence in real life.
Because of desensitization, many porn consumers find themselves consuming more porn, consuming more often, or consuming more extreme forms of pornography.
Despite porn’s promise of improving consumers’ sex lives, research shows that consuming porn is associated with decreased sexual satisfaction.
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.
Research shows that people who consume porn frequently are more likely to objectify and dehumanize others.
Research has shown that those who don’t consume porn report higher relationship quality—on every measure— than those who viewed pornography alone.
Research suggests that pornography can make young people more sexually illiterate —in other words, it’s actively spreading harmful misinformation about sex.
Porn consumption is associated with lower self-esteem.
In comparison to couples who never viewed porn, a 2011 study found that those who watched porn alone reported twice the rate of cheating, and individuals who viewed porn alone and with their partners reported three times the rate of cheating.
Research indicates that porn can fuel sexist attitudes in porn consumers.
Research suggests that frequent porn consumers are less likely to intervene during a sexual assault.
Porn consumption is linked to poorer relationship quality.
Over 90% of police officers report that self-generated intimate images of minors are common in their investigations of CSEM.
One study shows that approximately 45% of teens who consumed porn did so in part to learn about sex.
Research has found that therapy is an effective way to treat problematic pornography consumption.
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