What we know—and don’t know—about pornography and boys and men

An introduction to the AIBM landscape scan on pornography research

Pornography is one of the most common digital experiences in the lives of boys and men in America—and one of the least studied. The American Institute for Boys and Men commissioned a landscape scan of the existing research to understand what we actually know—and, just as importantly, what we don’t. The full report, authored by Bailey Way, Joshua Grubbs, and Shane Kraus, maps the state of the field across four domains: prevalence and patterns of use, the associations and effects of pornography consumption, the motivations that drive use, and the regulatory approaches currently being attempted. What emerges is a picture of widespread use, a research base that is smaller and less rigorous than the topic deserves, and a policy landscape that is moving faster than the evidence.

Download the full report

The scale of the issue

More than 80% of adult men in the United States report lifetime exposure to pornography, with many estimates exceeding 90%. Between 40 and 70% report use in the past year, and close to half engage with pornography on a weekly basis. Among younger men, the rates are even higher. And the trend line is moving upward: data from 2022 suggest that 65% of men reported pornography use, up substantially from prior decades.

Among boys, the median age of first exposure internationally is approximately 13 years. In the United States, the mean age is 12. Around 70% of adolescents report lifetime exposure. Unintentional exposure—stumbling across pornography while doing something else online—is common even among younger children.

Figure 1

There is a shortage of longitudinal research on pornography use across the lifespan. Existing studies reveal that pornography use peaks in adolescence and emerging adulthood and declines gradually thereafter.

Most longitudinal studies focus on adolescents and primarily track negative correlates. We know relatively little about what long-term, heavy pornography use looks like across a full adult life—its relationship to relationship formation, sexual satisfaction over time, or the arc of mental health. Age-related differences reflect broader variations in gender, religiosity, and cultural context, underscoring the need for more robust lifespan-oriented research.

A range of associations and effects

Researchers observe a wide spectrum of effects, ranging from potentially negative, to neutral, and to positive, in a wide array of domains. The impacts of pornography can be categorized at the individual, relational, and societal level.

At the individual level, pornography use is associated with a higher number of sexual partners and with condomless sex—findings that appear across multiple studies. For adolescents, increased exposure is linked to more permissive attitudes toward sex, earlier sexual debut, and a greater likelihood of engaging in the sexual acts depicted. Among the more concerning findings is the association between pornography consumption and compulsive use—sometimes called problematic pornography use, or PPU—which in turn is linked to poorer mental health outcomes.

At the relational level, the weight of existing evidence points toward negative associations: lower relationship quality, decreased sexual satisfaction, poorer communication with romantic partners, greater sexual objectification, and endorsement of less progressive attitudes about gender. Some studies have identified a connection with sexually aggressive behavior, though researchers rightly caution that causality is difficult to establish. It bears noting that a man who was already inclined toward sexual aggression may actively seek out violent content—which would explain the correlation without pornography being the cause.

But the picture is not uniformly negative. Some research finds that pornography is associated with greater sexual intimacy, openness to sexual exploration, and enhanced sexual knowledge within relationships. Some couples use pornography together in ways they report as positive. For LGBTQ+ adolescents in unsupportive environments, it can represent one of the few available spaces to understand their own desires.

At the societal level, the evidence is thinner. Population-level data do not support a straightforward causal link between increased pornography availability and rising rates of sexual violence. This is different from saying pornography is harmless—it suggests that the relationship is more complex than a simple more-pornography-equals-more-violence story. Individual-level and population-level mechanisms can diverge in ways that matter for both research and policy.

A review of 650 studies found that very little research had examined pornography in relation to sexual education or positive sexual experiences. The pornography research field has largely been organized around harm—which means the studies that would reveal neutral or positive effects largely haven’t been designed or funded.

Why men use pornography

The motivations to engage with pornography are varied. Sexual arousal, pleasure, and curiosity are consistently the dominant drivers. But researchers also identify coping, stress relief, loneliness, and boredom as significant factors—motivations that carry different implications than pure sexual interest.

Personality factors—including sensation-seeking and erotophilia—are also associated with higher rates of use. And while pornography is sometimes used for purposes of sex education, only a minority of adolescents and young adults treat it as a primary source of information about sex. Research in LGBQ+ communities notes similar findings with increased motivation to view pornography for sexual identity exploration and for assessing readiness for sex.

The regulatory landscape

Twenty-five states have passed age verification laws since 2023, and federal proposals—including the Kids Online Safety Act and SCREEN Act—are active in Congress.

Figure 2

Age verification laws place compliance burdens on platforms without clear guidance on how to protect the sensitive personal data involved. In response, major pornography platforms have simply blocked access in affected states rather than comply—a response that has driven some users toward less regulated alternatives and VPNs, potentially increasing risk rather than reducing it. The regulation may be achieving the opposite of its intent in some cases.

Current verification approaches fall into three broad categories: identification-based (government IDs, credit cards), biometric-based (facial analysis), and attribute-based (device-level controls or passcodes). Identification-based methods carry the greatest privacy risk; biometric methods raise concerns about accuracy, bias, and child protection standards. The evidence points toward attribute-based systems and age-verified devices as the most privacy-preserving options that still meet the regulatory goals. Notably, parents and teenagers themselves tend to favor education over verification, citing concerns about data security.

Pornography literacy programs and broader public health campaigns may serve as proactive, complementary strategies to restrictions on access.

Research gaps and priorities

Figure 3

Conclusion

Pornography websites are among the most heavily visited destinations on the internet—surpassing or matching TikTok, ChatGPT, and Netflix in traffic volume. Pornography use is a near-universal feature of male development in the digital age, but the effects of that exposure are varied and insufficiently studied.

On policy, the states have moved faster than the evidence. Vague compliance requirements have pushed major platforms to simply block access rather than verify, which has driven some users toward less regulated corners of the internet.

We are making consequential decisions—about regulation, education, and clinical treatment—with a research base that is thinner than the scale of the issue deserves. The existing evidence skews toward harm and toward heterosexual samples. There is almost no rigorous longitudinal research tracking pornography use from adolescence through adulthood, and the causal mechanisms are still poorly understood.

Download the full report

An invitation

Everyone: Please join us for a webinar on April 2nd, where Bailey Way, Shane Kraus, and Josh Grubbs will present their findings alongside Marc Potenza and Emily Rothman. The goal is not just to share results but to explore a field-wide research agenda.

Researchers: If you are studying these questions and want to be part of a research convening we are planning for this summer, please get in touch by writing to [email protected].

Funders: Pornography’s effects on boys and men represent one of the most significant evidence gaps in adolescent health research. The investment required is modest relative to the scale of the problem—and relative to what is at stake for young people growing up in this environment.