The challenges that rise from porn use can be a difficult topic to for students to address or even bring up. This infosheet intends to introduce what porn and problematic use can look like, discuss risk factors and impact on student wellbeing, and propose strategies and supports for students.
Pornography (or porn) is any material that is in visual, written, or spoken format that is intended to sexually arouse the viewer1. Online porn use, which is now the most popular form of porn, has risen due to increased use of cellphones and the internet2. For young adults, smart phones have been the primary mode for accessing these materials3.
Pornography exposure has been shown to occur quite early on. According to a 2014 Canadian study, the average age of first exposure to porn is around 12 year of age and a third of first exposures can be as young as 10 years old2. In a 2018 study, 1 in 5 youth in Canada have experienced unwanted exposure to explicit material online3.
Prevalence of porn use can vary depending on the literature and the demography that is investigated. In North America, 70-80% of post-secondary men and 20-30% of post-secondary women reported consuming porn that was in video format2. A more recent study around 57% of lifetime pornography use among university students in the U.S, with a higher proportion of male students reporting such use4. Additionally, COVID-19 has shown to increase pornography use among general populations from 4% to 20% in various countries5.
Problematic Pornography Use (PPU), compulsive pornography use, or porn addiction occurs when there is persistent, repetitive, and uncontrollable use of pornography that brings about dysfunction and distress in daily life4. The distress is not about the morality of pornography (whether it is good or bad to consume porn) but more about the inability to control the frequency despite its impact on the individual4. PPU can be a common outcome of compulsive sexual behaviour and has been shown to have characteristics consistent with behavioural addictions5,6. PPU has been associated with increased odds of mental health conditions such as depression, suicide ideation, and anxiety4,7.
To learn more about compulsive sexual behaviour, please refer to the Harm Reduction on Campus Toolkit
The triple A factor — the anonymity, affordability, and accessibility of porn — enhances the risk of PPU among individuals. Some individual-based risk factors to PPU include6,7:
- Being male
- Young adults
- History of child abuse
- Negative mental health (anxiety, low mood)
- Low self esteem
- Tendency for novelty seeking
- Increased sexual boredom
- Frequent use of the internet
Within post-secondary demographics, heterosexual male students have shown a greater susceptibility to PPU, much like the general population4,6. Among general populations, PPU is most prevalent among men, followed by gender diverse people and then women. There is no significant difference for PPU in relation to sexual orientation8. Despite this, there is a need for more studies to investigate PPU among sexual and gender diverse groups within post-secondary demographics.
Impact on Students 5 6 7 9
Studies have found that male and female both experience mental health impacts due to PPU, specifically pertaining to depression, anxiety, and stress4. More research is required on the effects of PPU on gender and sexually diverse students.
Some negative impacts of PPU noted in literature are:
- Negative social, financial, and academic consequences due to prioritization of porn
- Sexual dysfunction (lack of arousal or longer time to reach arousal)
- Relationship issues such as partners feeling neglected or distrusting, skewed expectations regarding relationships or anxiety within the relationship
- High risk-taking behaviors (substance use, gambling, etc.)
- Negative mental health outcomes (low self-esteem, anxiety, depression)
- Consequences associated with prolonged computer or phone use such as strained vision, dry eyes, body aches, and sleep disturbances
- Rise of negative body image, increased body comparisons or gender dysphoria
Signs of Potential PPU 10 11
- Efforts to limit use of porn is challenging or unsuccessful, may even experience a sense of withdrawal
- Time spent on using or thinking about porn increases
- Porn is prioritized over other life activities
- Lack of control in consuming pornography
- Loneliness, often a sense of distance between your partner or others who care about you
- Dissatisfaction with your own sex life or unable to perform in real life
Strategies to Minimize PPU 5 10 11
- Identifying when or what triggers porn usage through self-reflection (journalling) or with a mental health professional
- Creating routines to engage in hobbies and self-care activities instead of using porn
- Activities can be things like sports, arts, clubs and music that help with relaxation, de-stressing, or coping with negative feelings (loneliness, depression, boredom, anger)
- Setting limits to porn usage either through an alarm or lockdown apps that can be set up through the phone
- Blocking certain sites using a browser extension
- Creating a support network of friends, family, mental health professionals or community organizations
- Practicing mindfulness and approach coping strategies for negative feelings and situations.
- For some, engaging in spirituality and spiritual practices may be helpful to reduce harms of PPU
Approach coping strategies involve problem solving or seeking information on life stressors, helps people adapt better to the situation as opposed to using avoidance coping, which involves denial or distraction12. Approach coping can look like trying to address PPU (by seeking more information, support from trusted friends or professionals) or addressing the root issue (e.g., Addressing loneliness and anxiety, by seeking connection and managing stress).
Starting the Conversation
Bringing up topics surrounding porn use or sex can be hard due to its taboo nature. It’s important to remember that mental health professionals are trained to talk about and navigate difficult topics. Here are some ways that you can bring up this subject:
- Bringing up PPU as someone else’s experience.
For example, “I have a friend who is struggling with porn use, what do you think would help them?” or “Have you worked with anyone who’s life is impacted by porn?” - Let your clinician know that you would like to talk about something hard in the next session or in the near future.
This can help get yourself mentally ready. - Bring up the taboo nature of the topic first.
For example, “I want to talk about something, but I feel shame/judgement around it, and I don’t know how to talk to you about it.”
Supports 10 11
There may be various support available on campus or with your community. We recommend finding out more about these options based on what may work best for you or asking a trained mental health professional about options. The supports mentioned below have been found to help people who struggle with compulsive sexual behaviour or PPU:
- Seeking support from a mental health professional or calling a help line (e.g. Good2Talk)
- Specialized supports may be offered by a sex therapist or a certified sexual addiction therapist
- Support/recovery groups within the community (e.g. Sex Addicts Anonymous)
- Connect with services like ConnexOntario to seek resources available in your area
Additional CICMH Resources
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References
- Jha, A., & Banerjee, D. (2022). Neurobiology of Sex and Pornography Addictions: A Primer. Journal of Psychosexual Health, 4(4), 227–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/26318318221116042[↩]
- Hare, K., Gahagan, J., Jackson, L., & Steenbeek, A. (2014). Perspectives on “Pornography”: Exploring sexually explicit Internet movies’ influences on Canadian young adults’ holistic sexual health. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 23(3), 148 – https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.2732[↩][↩][↩]
- Madigan, S., Villani, V., Azzopardi, C., Laut, D., Smith, T., Temple, J. R., Browne, D., & Dimitropoulos, G. (2018). The Prevalence of Unwanted Online Sexual Exposure and Solicitation Among Youth: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Adolescent Health, 63(2), 133–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.03.012[↩][↩]
- Camilleri, C., Perry, J. T., & Sammut, S. (2021). Compulsive Internet Pornography Use and Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Sample of University Students in the United States. Frontiersm in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.613244[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- Vieira, C., & Griffiths, M. D. (2024). Problematic Pornography Use and Mental Health: A Systematic Review. Sexual Health & Compulsivity, 31(3),m 207–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/26929953.2024.2348624[↩][↩][↩][↩]
- Mauer-Vakil, D., & Bahji, A. (2020). The Addictive Nature of Compulsive Sexual Behaviours and Problematic Online Pornography Consumption: A Review. The Canadian Journal of Addiction, 11(3), 42–51. https://doi.org/10.1097/cxa.0000000000000091[↩][↩][↩][↩]
- De Alarcón, R., De La Iglesia, J. I., Casado, N. M., & Montejo, A. L. (2019). Online Porn Addiction: What We Know and What We Don’t—A Systematic Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(1), 91. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8010091[↩][↩][↩]
- Bőthe, B., Nagy, L., Koós, M., Demetrovics, Z., Potenza, M. N., International Sex Survey Consortium, & Kraus, S. W. (2024). Problematic pornography use across countries, genders, and sexual orientations: Insights from the International Sex Survey and comparison of different assessment tools. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 119(5), 928–950. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16431[↩]
- Willoughby, B. J., Carroll, J. S., Nelson, L. J., & Padilla-Walker, L. M. (2014). Associations between
relational sexual behaviour, pornography use, and pornography acceptance among US college students. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 16(9), 1052–https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2014.927075[↩] - Pornography Addiction – Student Counseling Center | UT Dallas. (n.d.). https://counseling.utdallas.edu/resources/pornography-addiction/[↩][↩][↩]
- Pornography Addiction Help: Effective Porn Addiction Treatment & Sex Addiction Therapy. (n.d.). https://www.simcoerehab.ca/porn-addictiontreatment/[↩][↩][↩]
- Holahan, C., Moos, R., & Groesz, L. (2007). Community Studies. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 536–541). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-012373947-6.00089-1[↩]
