Steep rise in pornography addiction since lockdown period

The number of people seeking help for porn addiction has trebled since coronavirus lockdowns were imposed, new figures show.

According to UK Addiction Treatment Group (UKAT) - Britain's biggest private rehab provider - more than 36,000 people sought help in 2021.

This is up from around 10,500 the year before - a rise of nearly 250 per cent. The proportion of women seeking help from the group rose from 25 per cent to 38 per cent during the period.

One man, Tom, 38, told BBC Radio Newcastle that he had spent more than £100,000 on a cocaine and pornography addiction and was watching sex videos for up to 15 hours daily.

UKAT, which treats over 3,000 people every year, says help for pornography is now the second most common addiction men seek help for after alcohol.

Director Simon Stephens comments: "The first thing I say to clients is that this is not always about sex, this is about learning how to deal with emotions in a way that is less destructive.

"Availability of this material allows people to create a stimulus that creates dopamine in the brain, one of the effects of that is to surpress feelings. We can offer a small amount of help but in no way can we meet demand."

Earlier this year, an academic warned that women are experiencing sexual violence because of what men are taught through pornography, an academic has said.

Dr Rachael Sharman, an lecturer in psychology, also warned young people think sex should be painful due to what they're watching. At the time, a spokesman for CARE said:

“The links between extreme pornography and sexual violence are becoming clearer and clearer. Pornography has been implicated in a host of tragic cases involving the rape and murder of women in recent years.

"It is described as a contributing factor by those working with victims of sexual violence across the UK. And it has been named as a motivator of sexual harassment in schools."

Polling commissioned by CARE also found broad public concern about the link between pornography consumption and sexual violence against women and girls.

A Savanta ComRes poll of 2,000 people last year found 6 in 10 UK adults agree with the statement: “I am concerned that pornography is inspiring sexual violence against women and girls.” Only 1 in 10 disagreed.

7 in 10 adults also agreed that: “The government should stop websites publishing extreme pornography that portrays violence or non-consensual sex”, with less than 1 in 10 respondents disagreeing.