However, while problematic porn use might mimic an addiction, it isn’t diagnostically recognised as such.
Instead, it is categorised as problematic online pornography use (POPU), or compulsive behaviour.
For people who develop this relationship with porn, the effects can be negative.
And for the youngest in society who are growing up with free, hardcore content at their fingertips, the impact of early overexposure can be far reaching.
The Children’s Commissioner for England promotes and protects the rights of children.
Recent research from their office found that, in 2023, 10% of children had seen porn by the age of nine and 27% had seen it by age 11.
“Young people tell me their exposure to pornography is widespread and normalised – with the average age at which children first seeing pornography being 13 years old,” Dame Rachel de Souza, the current Children’s Commissioner, tells the .
“Pornography is no longer confined to dedicated adult sites – children tell me they can see violent content, depicting coercive, degrading or pain-inducing sexual acts on social media.
“The implications of seeing this kind of material are vast – my research has found that frequent users of pornography are more likely to engage in physically aggressive sex acts.”
De Souza adds that it is “vital” for high-quality relationship and sex education to be given parity of importance with other subjects to help young people understand that pornography is unrealistic.
