Excessive Porn Viewing

Thanks to advancements in science and technology, it has now become very easy for people to indulge in certain activities and interests; some of which may have detrimental effects on your health in the long-term. A lot of times when we talk about sex education, we don’t really pay a lot of attention on critical subjects like porn. The wide availability of porn (pornographic videos, images and literature) on internet makes it very easy for individuals of all age groups to view the content in the comforts of their home without bringing it to anyone’s attention.

Excessive viewing of pornographic content:

Did you know that some people are even addicted to porn?

That’s right; just like other addictions, about 17% of all the people who watch pornographic content develops porn addiction – a term that denotes compulsive and irresistible urge to watch porn – regardless of the consequences.

Porn addiction is a recognizable condition that negatively impacts social, mental and physical aspects of health. It is also recognized by key medical bodies such as American Society of Addiction Medicine. In fact, renowned Professor at the Colombia University’s College of Physicians, Dr. Richard Krueger, suggested that porn addiction will soon by added to the DSM – (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) of Mental Disorders.

Are there any adverse effects of excessive porn viewing?

According to the results of a survey conducted by Covenant Eyes:

• Globally there are more than 28 million pornographic sites – most of which are open to general public without any paid subscription. It is also noteworthy that new porn sites are emerging with every passing minute
• In year 2015, more than 2 billion searches were conducted on the internet for pornographic content
• About 1 in 5 searches on mobile phones are for pornographic content
• About 60% females and 90% males gets a taste of porn before they hit 19 years of age

Various research and clinical studies indicate that porn addiction can lead to a number of issues; most common ones are listed below:

• Relationship issues: Statistics indicates that porn addiction of at least one partner is responsible for almost 56% cases of divorce. Psychiatrist Norman Doidge explained in his study that most men who are addicted to porn, experience difficulty in maintaining healthy sexual relationships. They are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction, difficulty in getting aroused by their partner and often require role-play or reenactment of porn in real life to get sexual excitation.
• Porn addiction leads to tolerance and people need more extreme form of porn to get the same level of excitation as before
• Porn addiction reduces attention span and affect social skills. People who have serious addiction finds it hard to keep regular jobs and other day-to-day responsibilities
• People who are addicted to porn spends a lot of time and money in fueling their addiction instead of focusing on things that can make them better – socially, physically or emotionally.
• Poor image of self and low self-esteem – along with related issues are also seen more frequently in individuals who watch a lot of porn, as unrealistic scenarios and situations shown in porn along with bodies of porn stars makes average individual shy or even disgusted with their bodies. This affects their confidence in bedroom and may compromise the quality of relationships.
• Data indicates that more than 80% porn shows some sort of violence against women. In fact, in the last year, there has been more than 500,000 searches for teen-porn. All these factors indicate that excessive porn also plays a role in an increased tendency to indulge in violent crimes against women and weak.