One in five men say their porn habits have gotten more extreme over time

When porn becomes a problem.

The poll questioned more than 2,500 adults and was commissioned by the child protection charity, the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

It found that more than 40% of Brits watch pornography with one in five watching it at least once a week.

Of those asked, 27% said that their consumption of porn was more frequent than it had been initially, and 19% said that the type of porn they consumed was now more aggressive or extreme.

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation has warned that excessive pornography use can lead to more extreme and illegal online behaviour including viewing sexual images of children.

Dr Alexandra Bailey, Head of Psychology at Lucy Faithfull Foundation and Associate Professor at the University of Roehampton, says: “The way people access pornography has dramatically changed over the past 20 years. People have moved from looking at sexual content on video tapes and in magazines to having easy-access 24/7 via the internet. With so much adult material readily available, it’s important to recognise when online behaviours are becoming harmful. 

“It may sound a bit extreme to suggest that escalating pornography habits can lead people to offending online and viewing child sexual abuse material, but sadly it’s true and something helpline advisors at Stop It Now see every single day. 

“We see people who go from watching legal pornography to watching more and more extreme content online. In these instances, the individual builds a tolerance to the content they’re watching, becoming desensitised to legal adult pornography, which leads them to seek out more extreme material to achieve the same level of gratification – in some circumstances this includes illegal child sexual abuse material."

Dr Bailey continued: “It’s important that people can recognise when a relationship with pornography develops into something more problematic. Watching illegal content online has life-changing consequences for you and your family, who are secondary victims.

"These consequences include criminal conviction, becoming a registered sex offender, family and career breakdown, housing implications, and even media exposure. It causes serious harm to real children. In fact, in 2023, CyberTipline received more than 35.9 million reports that referred to incidents of suspected child sexual abuse material.

“We are encouraging anyone concerned about their own or a loved one’s online behaviours to get support from our Stop It Now helpline before it’s too late.”

If you are worried about your online behaviour, or the behaviours of someone close to you, there is anonymous and confidential advice and support available over the phone at 0808 1000 900, via secure email, live chat, or online via the Stop It Now website.