Gen Z men turn against porn, new poll shows

A new survey has found that young men are increasingly supporting restrictions on online pornography.

According to the Survey Center on American Life, 64% of Gen Z men aged 18-24 — who are five times more likely than young women to view porn — want it made harder to access.

The poll also shows young women are more anti-porn than millennial women, with support for curbs on graphic content higher among women in every age group.

“On numerous salient cultural issues, the public is changing course,” the survey states.

These shifting attitudes align with Gen Z being labelled “the most conservative generation in history.” They are reported to be having less sex than previous generations at the same age, with nearly half also not drinking alcohol.

Legislation is following suit across several countries, reflecting growing public concern.

In the United States, Utah Senator Mike Lee recently introduced a bill that would impose a nationwide ban on online pornography, aiming to curb what he calls “the widespread availability of harmful sexual content.”

Already, more than a third of US states have enacted age-verification laws requiring users to prove they are over 18 before accessing explicit sites, signalling a broader shift towards tighter regulation.

In Europe, France has moved to enforce stricter age-verification measures, prompting major porn websites to go offline for three weeks in protest, arguing that the rules threaten their business and user privacy.

Meanwhile, the UK has taken significant steps by bringing in new age restrictions on pornographic websites. The Commons also recently voted to ban depictions of choking in adult content.

Together, these legislative efforts illustrate a marked change in how governments are responding to concerns about pornography’s impact on individuals and society.

CARE has campaigned for decades on the destructive impact of porn—particularly on younger generations. We welcome tighter restrictions and controls on the industry and continue to call for these to go much further.