Help, My Son is Addicted to Porn. How to Support Your Child

Key Points

• Porn addiction is becoming more prevalent in younger populations

• Parents may need support and guidance addressing child’s compulsive pornography consumption

• There are signs parents can look out for to identify porn addiction in their child

• There are specialized treatment and resources available for porn addiction

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Sex is a common topic for adolescents and teens to be curious about. It is natural and common for them to seek out information around sex and even explore pornography. This inclination does not always have to be a cause for concern, but there is also a risk that porn use can become compulsive and uncontrolled, especially in male teens. With the easy access that internet and social media give teens to endless streams of content, porn use and addiction have increased in younger populations. Therefore, parents need to be aware of the signs of compulsive porn consumption in their children and know how to approach them regarding their use. 

Spotting the Signs of Porn Addiction in your Child

While many people watch porn and are able to have a healthy relationship with it, there are certain signs that a parent should be aware of that may indicate their child has become addicted to porn. Signs of porn addiction in your son or daughter can include:

• Increased secrecy or desire for privacy

• Decline in academic performance or attendance in school

• Changes in baseline emotional state, mood swings

• Isolation from friends and family

• Loss of interest in regular activities (sports, other hobbies, etc.)

• Change in sleep or eating habits

• New onset of depression or anxiety symptoms

• Irritability 

• Difficulty maintaining regular relationships with friends or family members

It is important for parents to be aware of their child's typical emotional state, habits and activities in order to determine if they are deviating from their baseline. Porn addiction in children is often identified through observation. 

Speaking with your son or daughter about pornography habits

Speaking to your son about his pornography habits can feel embarrassing for both of you, and you may not know how to navigate or start those conversations. It is important for a parent to remain open and non-judgmental when addressing their child about their porn consumption. Parents can ask them about their feelings toward porn and how they make him feel. Parents can also educate their child on the reality of porn and that the scenarios depicted in it are not based on reality or how they should base their idea of sexual relationships.

Depending on the age of the child that a parent is dealing with, they can also set certain restrictions on devices that their child uses to help them reduce their desire to watch or engage with unsafe materials. 

Finding specialized help for your child’s struggles with Porn Addiction

There are specialized tools available to help identify and treat a child's unhealthy porn habits. Porn addiction assessments can be used by parents to help their child identify symptoms. There are also educational materials that explain what porn addiction looks like and what resources are available to help them reduce or stop porn use. 

Other formal treatment options can include inpatient or outpatient programs, individual or group therapy, along with virtual options. Online counseling can also be beneficial in treating porn addiction by reducing traditional barriers to treatment and increasing streamlined access to porn addiction specialists.  

Birches Health allows parents to connect their child with specialized porn addiction treatment anytime, anywhere. Birches’ therapists are trained in treating porn addiction and can provide the unique support that it requires. To get started with Birches you can:

• Book an appointment 

• Call 833-483-3838 or email help@bircheshealth.com to learn more 

Porn Addiction in teenagers: What the numbers show

Research revealed that 68.4% of children aged 10 to 19 have seen online pornography. This statistics highlights the trend of adolescents being exposed to porn at younger ages. Other factors that can impact unhealthy porn-related behaviors in teens can include socioeconomic status, gender and cultural background. 

Teens “Gooning” trend: What is it? How common?

Gooning is a term used for an extreme form of masturbation that is purposely prolonged and achieving an orgasm is delayed for as long as possible. Gooning can purportedly bring on an emotional state of bliss, which is referred to as being “gooned out.”  Gooning is a more intense version of another popular term, “edging,” which is part of the practice of gooning. 

Gooning has become more popular in the past decade with a huge increase during COVID-19 and even more so between 2023 and today. Currently there are over 300,000 Google searches per month for gooning, with a large interest in gooning stemming from Gen-Z and its popularity on social media. 

It is worth noting that there are potential negative impacts from gooning. One survey of 1,000 Americans by ZipHealth found that 1 in 7 people with experience gooning reported requiring extreme or niche porn to stay aroused or engaged. There were also findings of desensitization during regular sexual encounters, and 7% said they feel increasingly more disconnected from their partners. 

Participants also reported soreness and fatigue due to excessive masturbation. Four percent also stated that gooning interfered with their daily responsibilities.  Medical professionals also shared that excessive gooning can lead to erectile dysfunction or changes in sexual satisfaction. Gooning may also lead to a dependence on porn, creating a compulsion that may be categorized as a porn addiction.