New research suggests almost two thirds of young people are “addicted to online pornography”.
Mental health and addiction clinic Paracelsus Recovery claims more patients are referred for pornography addictions than official figures would suggest. It comes as a recent study from the Children’s Commissioner found children as young as nine are exposed to adult content online.
A quarter of 16 to 21 year olds first accessed pornography while at primary school, reports MailOnline. By the time young people reach their teenage years, the study found around one in two had accessed pornographic content.
Paracelsus Recovery, which is based in Zurich and London, said it had seen a 150% increase in people being treated for online pornography addiction between 2019 and 2023.
Chief executive Jan Gerber said: “It is clear from our research that porn addiction is significantly more common than official numbers suggest. We estimate that one in two males suffer from problematic porn consumption that would meet the diagnostic criteria for addiction, and one in four females.
“Among under-18s, the levels are higher still, at around 60 per cent.”
The United Kingdom has one of the highest instances of x-rated searches, reports the Mail. There are an average of 16,600,000 searches for porn taking place each month.
The Government’s Online Safety Act, which passed last year, will force porn websites to use age verification software to stop access by under-18s. Similar technology is already used by gambling websites. Ofcom is consulting with the industry how the system will work.
One 27-year-old British man treated by Paracelsus Recovery said he became addicted to pornography after he started watching it from the age of 12.
He said: “I had lost all control over my behaviour. I was sitting in my room smoking weed and watching porn videos from morning to night.
“I cannot even articulate how disgusting and ashamed I felt, and it’s only other individuals who have struggled with a porn addiction who can understand the depths of this despair.”
