Fast Facts Archive - Page 2 of 11 - Fight the New Drug™

(Gewirtz-Meydan, Walsh, Wolak, & Finkelhor, 2018)

According to a 2018 study of "child porn" victims, survivors reported that the images of their abuse caused different problems than the sexual abuse itself, including distress over being recognized from the images.

Citations

Gewirtz-Meydan, A., Walsh, W., Wolak, J., & Finkelhor, D. (2018). The complex experience of child pornography survivors. Child abuse & neglect, 80, 238–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.03.031

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(Fritz, Malic, Paul, & Zhou, 2020)

Research shows that women are almost always the targets of violence or aggression in porn —about 97% of the time.

Citations

Fritz, N., Malic, V., Paul, B., & Zhou, Y. (2020). A descriptive analysis of the types, targets, and relative frequency of aggression in mainstream pornography. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(8), 3041-3053. doi:10.1007/s10508-020-01773-0

How Porn Can Promote Sexual Violence

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(Wright & Tokunaga, 2016; Seabrook, Ward, & Giaccardi, 2019)

Studies show that people who consume porn frequently are more likely to support sexual violence.

Citations

Wright, P. J., & Tokunaga, R. S. (2016). Men's Objectifying Media Consumption, Objectification of Women, and Attitudes Supportive of Violence Against Women. Archives of sexual behavior, 45(4), 955–964. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0644-8
Seabrook, R. C., Ward, L. M., & Giaccardi, S. (2019). Less than human? Media use, objectification of women, and men’s acceptance of sexual aggression. Psychology of Violence, 9(5), 536–545. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000198

How Porn Can Promote Sexual Violence

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(Feehs & Wheeler, 2021)

83% of active 2020 sex trafficking cases involved online solicitation, which is overwhelmingly the most common tactic traffickers use to solicit sex buyers.

Citations

Feehs, K., & Wheeler, A. C. (2021). 2020 Federal Human Trafficking Report. Human Trafficking Institute. Retrieved from https://www.traffickinginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2020-Federal-Human-Trafficking-Report-Low-Res.pdf

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(Rothman, Kaczmarsky, Burke, Jansen, & Baughman, 2015)

Qualitative research reveals that young women often feel pressured to play out the “scripts” their male partners had learned from porn —they feel badgered into having sex in uncomfortable positions, faking sexual responses, and consenting to unpleasant or painful acts.

Citations

Rothman, E. F., Kaczmarsky, C., Burke, N., Jansen, E., & Baughman, A. (2015). 'Without Porn … I Wouldn't Know Half the Things I Know Now': A Qualitative Study of Pornography Use Among a Sample of Urban, Low-Income, Black and Hispanic Youth. Journal of sex research, 52(7), 736–746. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2014.960908

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(Paslakis, Actis, & Mestre-Bach, 2022)

A review of 26 studies found that greater exposure to pornography was associated with more negative perceptions of body image and sexual body image among both men and women.

Citations

Paslakis, G., Chiclana Actis, C., & Mestre-Bach, G. (2022). Associations between pornography exposure, body image and sexual body image: A systematic review. Journal of Health Psychology, 27(3), 743–760. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105320967085

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(BBFC, 2025)

According to a recent survey, 1 in 3 adult pornography users reported being exposed to violent or abusive content online in the last three months.

Citations

British Board of Film Classification. (2025, June 24). 1 in 3 adult pornography users exposed to violent or abusive content online with majority backing new legislation to prevent publication of harmful content. https://www.bbfc.co.uk/press-releases/1-in-3-adult-pornography-users-exposed-to-violent-or-abusive-content-online-with-majority-backing-new-legislation-to-prevent-publication-of-harmful-content

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(Donevan, 2021; Donevan et al., 2025)

Qualitative research with current and former porn performers suggests that sexual exploitation and trafficking are common experiences in the porn industry.

Citations

Donevan, M. (2021). “In this industry, you're no longer human”: An exploratory study of women’s experiences in pornography production in Sweden. Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence. 6(3) doi:10.23860/dignity.2021.06.03.01
Donevan, M., Jonsson, L. S., & Svedin, C. G. (2025). The experience of individuals filmed for pornography production: a history of continuous polyvictimization and ongoing mental health challenges. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 79(2), 156–165. doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2025.2464634

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(Butler, Pereyra, Draper, Leonhardt, & Skinner, 2018)

Porn consumption is linked to increased loneliness.

Citations

Butler, M. H., Pereyra, S. A., Draper, T. W., Leonhardt, N. D., & Skinner, K. B. (2018). Pornography Use and Loneliness: A Bidirectional Recursive Model and Pilot Investigation. Journal of sex & marital therapy, 44(2), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2017.1321601

How Porn Can Impact Mental Health and Fuel Loneliness

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(Maddox, Rhoades, & Markman, 2011)

Research has shown that those who don’t consume porn report higher relationship quality—on every measure— than those who viewed pornography alone.

Citations

Maddox, A. M., Rhoades, G. K., & Markman, H. J. (2011). Viewing sexually-explicit materials alone or together: Associations with relationship quality. Archives of sexual behavior, 40(2), 441–448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-009-9585-4

How Porn Can Negatively Impact Love And Intimacy

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(BBFC, 2025)

A recent survey found that over 60% of adult porn consumers agree that depictions of physical violence are normalized in online pornography and contribute to the normalization of violent sexual behavior in the real world.

Citations

British Board of Film Classification. (2025, June 24). 1 in 3 adult pornography users exposed to violent or abusive content online with majority backing new legislation to prevent publication of harmful content. https://www.bbfc.co.uk/press-releases/1-in-3-adult-pornography-users-exposed-to-violent-or-abusive-content-online-with-majority-backing-new-legislation-to-prevent-publication-of-harmful-content

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(Tollini & Diamond-Welch, 2021)

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.

Citations

Tollini, C., & Diamond-Welch, B. (2021). American adult pornography consumers’ beliefs and behaviors related to pornography studios mistreating their performers. Sexuality & Culture, doi:10.1007/s12119-021-09872-3

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