By Gavin Boyle
After growing up with pretty much unrestricted access to porn, now-adult Gen Zers want to ditch this brain-destroying addiction.
“Porn is just an emotional crutch to avoid all of the feelings that I didn’t even realize I was having,” said Ryan, who saw porn for the first time at age 11. He’s now 25.
“I think it’s the biggest thing impacting men today, and it’s a bigger problem than anybody probably even knows,” added Max, a 35 year old who is fighting porn addiction being exposed for the first time at age 11.
Many young men are turning to support from others struggling with the same thing.
Related: Age-Verification Requirements Force Pornhub to Shutter Operations
“Finding that there are, in fact, other men going through the same thing, guys who can relate to them and aren’t going to judge them, and then hearing stories from some of these guys what strategies have actually worked…I think it’s tremendously helpful,” added Brad Salzman, a licensed clinical social worker and certified sex addiction therapist.
Study after study has revealed just how addictive pornography is and how great a negative impact it has on users, especially when they are exposed at a young age.
“Studies indicate that frequent porn use can affect the brain’s reward system, leading to desensitization and an increased need for more extreme content to achieve the same level of stimulation, similar to drug addiction,” said researchers Wendy Wang and Michael Toscano of the Institute for Family Studies. “Moreover, pornography sites use similar techniques as social media platforms, such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and personalized content, to keep users engaged. Like social media companies, rapt attachment is central to the business model of online pornography providers.”
While age-verification bills in a number of states have started to limit the unfettered access to porn, the porn industry is larger than ever. A 2022 report found that 71% of American teens access porn on a weekly basis, and the average American begins watching porn at age 12.
Those with a significant platform have also used their reach to discuss the impact of porn and encourage their followers to avoid it as much as possible.
“As a woman, I think porn is a disgrace,” pop star Billie Eilish said in 2024 on an episode of “The Howard Stern Show.” “I used to watch a lot of porn, to be honest. I started watching it when I was like 11. I think it really destroyed my brain and I feel incredibly devastated that I was exposed to so much porn.”
Though the porn industry wants to remain relevant despite significant legislation against it, it is encouraging to see young people recognize the devastation it causes. Hopefully Gen Z can kill the porn industry and protect the younger generations from its grip.
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