Pornography addiction is a growing problem

Pornography is becoming more recognized as a problem by secular sources. The BBC put out the following:

29 November 2024

Ofcom’s Online Nation 2024 report suggests 29% of UK adults accessed online porn in May 2024. Additionally, new research from addiction treatment centre, UKAT, suggests that millions of Britons are viewing pornography regularly – with 1.8 million watching daily, some multiple times a day.

According to treatment providers, more people are seeking help for problematic porn use.

Dr Paula Hall, a UKCP-accredited sexual and relationship psychotherapist at The Laurel Centre, in London, specialises in helping people affected by sex addiction and porn addiction.

“The numbers of clients seeking help with pornography problems at The Laurel Centre have doubled over recent years, as have our requests from health professionals for further training,” she tells the BBC.

Dr Hall explains that they have also seen a growing number of younger people seeking help.

“Ten years ago the majority of our clients would have been married men in their 40s and 50s who were seeking help because their partner had discovered their use of sex workers,” she says.

“But increasingly, our clients are in their 20s and 30s, many of whom are single, who are recognising the growing toll of porn use on their lives and on their ability to get or maintain a relationship.” …

“Young people tell me their exposure to pornography is widespread and normalised – with the average age at which children first seeing pornography being 13 years old,” Dame Rachel de Souza, the current Children’s Commissioner, tells the BBC.

“Pornography is no longer confined to dedicated adult sites – children tell me they can see violent content, depicting coercive, degrading or pain-inducing sexual acts on social media.

“The implications of seeing this kind of material are vast – my research has found that frequent users of pornography are more likely to engage in physically aggressive sex acts.”

De Souza adds that it is “vital” for high-quality relationship and sex education to be given parity of importance with other subjects to help young people understand that pornography is unrealistic. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg57r337rvzo

Yes, pornography is unrealistic. It is very harmful to those who are enticed by it.

The Bible warns:

10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. (Proverbs 1:10)

The pornography industry is a sin-filled one that is always trying to entice people to sin!

The Bible also speaks against being “secretly enticed” (Job 31:27) and speaks of this essentially through sexual lust (cf. Job 31:1,9)–do not think that you can secretly view pornography and that all is fine: “be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23)!

Notice some statements in the Bible from Jesus and the Apostle Paul:

27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)

Adultery is prohibited by the seventh commandment (see also What Did Jesus Teach About the Ten Commandments?).

Jesus and the Apostle Paul warned against attempting to provoke, stir up, or mentally succumb to sexual lust. Thus, they are also condemning pornography, including dressing inappropriately (see also 1 Timothy 2:8-9).

Notice something from the Apostle James:

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:12-15)

James warned about being enticed and that this type of sin brings death!

When one flees sexual immorality, one resists temptation. Notice also something else from James:

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:7-8)

Do not be ‘double-minded,’–keep away from pornography. Satan wants you to accept the falsehoods associated with pornography.

Regular viewers of pornography often end up with a distorted version of human sexuality which impacts them as well as, for married people, their spouse. As it turns out, it was actually pornography that was a major factor in the early internet becoming somewhat commercially viable. However, pornography is wrong and quite harmful to society, and even some in the secular world are realizing that.

Related to pornography, the Continuing Church of God has the following sermon from its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:17

Pornography, Jesus, and the Bible

Is pornography harmless fun or is it an ever present evil in modern society? Does the Bible teach anything about it? What about Jesus? Just what is pornography? Does it have spiritual ramifications beyond the seventh commandment? Did the Apostle Paul teach about fleeing sexual immorality and dressing modestly? Does pornography violate the ‘golden rule’? What steps have the US Supreme Court and the State of Utah taken? What is the difference between hard-core and soft-core pornography? Are there steps one can take to overcome the addiction to pornography? Was pornography an issue in ancient Pompeii that was destroyed in 79 A.D.? How frequently is pornography searched for on the internet? Is there such a thing as “mommy porn’? Is pornography something that you should tolerate? Should the church be denouncing pornography? Could pornography have weather or prophetic ramifications? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.