An Update on Porn Stats
I recently had to work through my page proofs of an upcoming book titled Rethink How You Think, and the publisher wanted me to update some of the statistics related to the use of pornography. So I did a google search and found that even the Huffington Post had shown some concern. One of their statistics said that in the US, the income from all pornographic internet sites is more than the income of Netflix, Amazon, and Twitter combined.
They also reported that the bandwidth on one major porn site on the internet is six times larger than the bandwidth of Hulu, which provides repeats of many TV shows. In fact, they added the statistic that 30% of all data transferred over the internet is pornographic. And 20% of all that data represents the illegal area of child pornography.
70% of those viewing pornography are men, which means 30% of the viewers are women. The Christian magazine, “Today’s Christian Woman” found that one out of every six women, including Christians, struggles with an addiction to pornography.
Here’s the real scary part for families. The website www.archkck.org found that 89% of youth admit to receiving sexual solicitation in chat rooms, and that 80% of 15-17 year olds have had multiple hard-core exposures to pornography. That’s a call for parental involvement in their kids’ use of the internet!
The same website reported that as little as six hours of exposure to soft-core porn, which is defined as anything designed to arouse one sexually (such as Victoria’s Secret catalogues) is enough to destroy a person’s satisfaction with his or her spouse. It decreases the value of fidelity in their marriage, and weakens the ability of that person to be satisfied with one person and also makes it difficult to cherish that one person.
But here’s what really got to me. That same website found that 67% of 18-26 year-old men believed that viewing pornography is acceptable, and that 49% of women in the same age group thought it was acceptable as well. They are unaware of the effects of viewing pornography, which includes the proven correlation between viewing pornography and the increase in risky sexual attitudes and behaviors, substance use and nonmarital cohabitation values. It’s not worth it!
Question: What’s your attitude towards the acceptability of viewing pornography?
I hate to say this, but none of this surprises me. Our culture is really rotting from the inside now. If I was a young girl today I would be terrified to date or be out in public by myself.
Thanks for this great information it makes me as a mother be grateful for the limits we have place on devices that have one two access to the internet..I have my doubts because so many children even in church have such devices..but thank you for the #’s so I can remember that God gave me this motherly discernment for a reason. Praying for protection over the children in my children’s ministry as well.
Pornography almost ruined our 44 year marriage. I never could wrap my mind around the fact that it wasn’t about me. Only recently did my husband admit to me being sexually abused by an aunt of his. His dad had pornography around for him to see as young as the age of 7. Talk about the sins of our fathers!! It was magazine’s I would find and then websites after we got a computer. Every time I would find where he had been looking at it on the computer, my heart would about jump out of my chest. He even admitted it to me one time that “it” was easier than making love to me. I now understand the intimacy issues he had and we are working on that. I can’t put into words the devastating effect it had on my self esteem, not to mention the lack of trust I had in him. Fortunately, I truly believe he has given it up. He is now 64 and it is so sad to think of all the years we lost. When I hear Dr. Laura say that it is normal and okay for men to look at porn, it makes me sick!! She ought walk in my shoes just once. I am a New Life Member and your show has helped me SO MUCH over the years. God Bless all of you for your work.
“Just don’t do it”. Don’t start, and if you dabble in it, stop!
If it already is a problem, admit it, and then seek to get help.
Love your wife, draw closer to her, & aim to meet one another’s needs.
Physical & emotional intimacy, in greater measure, is the goal of every couple.
Pornography is a phony substitute and does not satisfy what God
has placed in our hearts.
It is extremely detrimental, particularly to children. I speak from experience. I was exposed to pornographic magazines and videos from the age of 7-8 through my early years of high school. In my late 30’s now, I still subconsciously compare myself to those images and even my sexual “performance” with my husband to those scenes. Pornography and anything worldly designed to promote or sell sex enrages me. Yes, sadly, I too see the ever-hastening trend of sexualizing everything in today’s culture and pushing the acceptance of it on even young children. It truly, truly makes me ill.
This is a response from Cherie, who recently became involved as an Ambassador for Shared Hope International http://sharedhope.org/ whose mission is to eradicate sex trafficking. Pornography is feeds this industry thus becoming a never ending vicious cycle. I believe if we can shut down these sites and heal the mind we can truly eradicate sex trafficking.
Just today however this just hit the news today Playboy, Penthouse reportedly not indecent under federal law, allowed for sale at military posts. Wow, this is getting a bit crazy isn’t it?
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/30/playboy-penthouse-reportedly-not-indecent-under-federal-law-allowed-for-sale-at/?test=latestnews
This is a great post. Interesting that mostly women commented….
as to sales of penthouse etc allowed at military post – that’s because it’s all about money….
I was exposed to pornographic magazines laying on the couch one morning when I woke up to watch cartoons. I was 7 years old. I grew up knowing and feeling in my heart that it was wrong and sinful, but as I grew older I began to find ways of “justifying” it. I got married when I was 22, after “saving myself” for my wife. I thought the pornography would stop cold turkey after getting married, that I wouldn’t “need” it because I would have a wife to satisfy me. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. After getting married, the pornography was gone for about 6 months. Then I found myself back at it, when the wife went to work, to the store or run errands…I kept it a secret for about 3 years of our marriage until on my second deployment to the middle east (I am in the military) I admitted to watching pornography overseas. She was disgusted with me, as I knew she would be. I also engaged in an online emotional affair with another woman I didn’t care at all for but just wanted to have sex with. My wife and I separated before I even returned from the desert. When I did return, I made my fantasy a reality. In dealing with the guilt, pain, and depression of the sin, I confessed to my wife what I had done. She wasn’t even surprised. Since then, I’ve bought many books, including the Every Man’s Battle. I’ve gone to Celebrate Recovery groups. I’ve even joined Club New Life and listen to the show daily. I’d like to say I did all this for myself, for my own recovery. But honestly, I mostly did it for the restoration of my marriage, which isn’t going to happen after all. My wife told me two days ago she was filing for divorce. It’s a very tough time for my faith walk right now, but I continue to hold onto the hope of knowing this, “Sometimes God allows what He hates, to accomplish what He loves.”
It is the entry drug to a destructive path in your life – like marijuana is to hard drugs.