What is problematic pornography use?

Problematic pornography use, also referred to in the literature as such instead of "porn addiction," concerns a subset of users who experience negative impacts from their consumption habits. This usage pattern is described in about 4% of people studied and likely results from the high accessibility and stimulating effects of pornography. It becomes problematic when it interferes with an individual's ability to cultivate healthy, real-world sexual interactions.

This kind of use frequently activates dopamine pathways, which create rewarding feelings, prompting continued and escalated use to achieve the same dopamine response. Individuals may seek more novel or explicit content over time to obtain similar levels of satisfaction. However, not everyone experiences problematic use; it is confined to a small part of the population. Problematic use is differentiated from occasional or recreational consumption, which might not affect one's daily functioning or social relationships 1.