Over 100 quick stats and findings from an ever-growing body of research that details the effects of porn for individuals, relationships, and society.
Research has found that those who enjoy extreme porn tend to prefer porn to real-life sex as a way to achieve sexual arousal.
Reports show that those who sexually abuse children often show their victims porn to groom them or normalize sexual abuse.
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.
Of domestic minor trafficking victims who had been forced into porn production, the average age they began being filmed was 12.8 years old.
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.
Research shows that women are almost always the targets of violence or aggression in porn —about 97% of the time.
Some experts have determined four major brain changes common to addicted brains—sensitization, desensitization, hypofrontality, and a malfunctioning stress system— all of which can be found in cases of pornography consumption.
Porn consumers tend to be more accepting of cheating.
One study shows that approximately 45% of teens who consumed porn did so in part to learn about sex.
Increased pornography consumption is linked to men’s enjoyment of degrading, uncommon, or aggressive sexual behaviors.
Research has shown that those who don’t consume porn report higher relationship quality—on every measure— than those who viewed pornography alone.
One review of 20 studies on the topic found that pornography consumption negatively impacts adolescents’ self-esteem and mental health.
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