On the Tuesday, March 31, 2026, episode of The Excerpt podcast: With smartphones and social media, pornography is more accessible than ever. Some young men say early exposure led to compulsive use, affecting relationships and daily life. USA TODAY’s Rachel Hale explains the research, the stigma and how online forums are becoming a first step toward recovery. …
A lot of men really thought that what they were experiencing was normal and didn’t realize that they needed help until they found some of these online forums and realized it’s not normal to think about sex 24/7 and to have those thoughts constantly. Other men who did know that they had a problem reached breaking points in their relationships, whether that was with a significant other or their families in the way that the porn really became something that they couldn’t shake. A lot of these men said that they thought it was something they could quit cold turkey and then realized for one reason or another that they couldn’t. One of these young men, Ryan, who’s now 25, on a nine-month mission trip where he did not have access to porn, went through some really significant physical symptoms that you could liken to withdrawal symptoms of sorts, including having headaches, feeling very lethargic.
And that was one way that he realized it. Other men I spoke with talked about having porn-induced erectile dysfunction, where when they became sexually active in their 20s or at a different age, they realized that they really struggled to engage in sexual activity in real life when they didn’t have that porn on the screen.
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Dana Taylor:
In the process of reporting on this story, what did you find to be the most surprising?
Rachel Hale:
What really struck me in this is… I’ll mention two things. One of them is how long people have struggled with this. I spoke with some people who were introduced to porn at 11 or 12 years old and are now struggling with it as 25-year-olds, 35-year-olds, addictions that span 15 or 25 years. To grapple with that for so much of your life, some of these young men told me that they don’t know who they are without porn because it was introduced to them at such young age. They don’t know who they are in a relationship without porn or who they are as a student or friend without having those urges constantly in their mind. So that really struck me as something that was compelling. And also how large of a barrier this is in people’s day-to-day lives. I had people tell me that they would spend upwards of six hours a day watching porn, and that it would start to cut into their daily school or workflow.
And that one of these men I interviewed told me he started leaving classroom as early as sixth grade, two or three times a day to go to the bathroom to watch porn. And so just how big of a detriment this problem can be to people’s day-to-day life really struck me just because it’s something that is usually so hidden.
Dana Taylor:
And finally, Rachel, is there anything you’d like to share with parents who might be concerned about their own children, girls or boys?
Rachel Hale:
I would want parents to know that there is no shame in teenagers having sexual urges. We know that that’s healthy. It’s a question of making sure that they are not coming upon illicit content early and content that could be harmful. And so I do think it goes back to the digital access that people have at a young age, because the difference between finding this type of material at 11 or 12 versus in your later teens or your early 20s can make a large difference developmentally in how someone thinks through sexual intimacy and relationships. But I would also say that for parents who might have a teen that’s struggling with this to avoid the shame that comes with it, because we know that the shame and stigma is what is keeping so many people from seeking out professional help about this. So validating that this is a real problem that millions of people deal with and that it is a really legitimate reason to go out and seek professional help.
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