A third of British boys and men encounter porn in childhood, yet its long-term effects are criminally understudied. Is a prudish refusal to engage with the issue putting men at risk?
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Arousing Interest
Whichever category of user you fall into, the reality is – experts insist to MH – turning a blind eye to porn’s impact on boys and men is doing a disservice to everyone. An independent pornography taskforce was set up in 2023 by the Conservative government, and it produced a report in 2025 that largely focused on the harms affecting young women and girls. ‘Not on the impact of pornography on young men and boys themselves,’ insists Brooks. ‘That includes their mental health, their understanding of what healthy relationships are and also around body image. There hasn’t been a recognition of the fact that men, young men and boys are victims of this in their own right.’ He is hopeful that awareness is changing, as evidenced by the discourse triggered by Netflix’s Adolescence last year and the Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere documentary in March.
Sasaki has some clear goals with the AIBM’s new-found focus on porn. ‘To raise awareness of the lack of research into particular parts of this picture,’ he shares. ‘I would especially love to see economists and social scientists who do policy analysis look into this – because legislators are passing policies that often aren’t grounded in evidence or that haven’t been evaluated.’ Experts in the UK tell MH that the Online Safety Act is a step in the right direction when it comes to healthier porn use among boys. Implementation of age verification began last July, and according to a survey by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, 47% of the respondents said they have reduced the amount of pornography they watch. ‘It’s a starting point,’ says Brooks, even if there are workarounds using VPNs [virtual private networks] and the fact adult content is prevalent on social media. Dr Hall agrees that the restrictions for boys is sending out the right message. ‘But it shouldn’t be done at the expense of education,’ she says. The new school curriculum is set to teach boys the difference between porn and real life.
However, arguably, while what is going on at the front line is important, ensuring there is the evidence to back up the guidance remains just as crucial. What would Sasaki like to see focused on next in the research? He suspects porn may have a role in the decline of dating, rise of heteropessimism and a breakdown of the trust between men and women in the case of heterosexual relationships. According to the National Dating Landscape Survey, young men aged 22 to 35 who were frequent porn users were twice as likely to say that they avoid committing in dating relationships. It’s something Ollie is curious about, too, casting his mind towards a thirtysomething man he knows of who is perfectly ‘happy’ watching porn daily in lieu of a real relationship.
The Healthy Porn Checklist
Is your porn habit impacting your life?
‘A positive relationship with porn is the absence of negative behaviours or emotions,’ explains Crepsley-Fox. ‘Such as, if you are using it in time available to you and not spending all your money on it.’
Are you in control?
‘If you feel like you are deciding when you want to experience porn, rather than feeling like you have to do it in certain moments, then that’s a positive indication,’ advises Crepsley-Fox. ‘It’s important to feel like you have a choice.’
Are you avoiding uncomfortable feelings?
‘Be aware if it becomes a way of managing loneliness, anxiety or another emotion you are navigating,’ warns Dr Hall. ‘For some, a domino effect of issues then feeds what was recreational to the point of it becoming increasingly compulsive.’
How do you feel after?
‘If you get to a climax, feel good in yourself and can focus back on other things, then that is a positive,’ notes Crepsley-Fox. ‘But if you have a huge “crash” that lingers for days, before the compulsion returns, then there might be negative implications.’