It is not clearly understood why porn use becomes compulsive for some people and not for others. It is believed that there may be some people who are more susceptible to addictive or compulsive behaviors because of genetic, biological, or environmental factors. Here are some potential causes and risk factors for developing a porn addiction:

• Genetics: Having a family or personal history of a mental illness or another type of addiction increases a person’s risk for addiction.

• Early childhood trauma: Childhood trauma or significant life stress also places people at higher risk for all types of mental illness, including addiction.

• Impulsivity: People who are naturally more impulsive or prone to risk-taking may also be at higher risk for addiction.

• Isolation: Some risk factors more specific to developing compulsive sexual behaviors include low self-esteem, social isolation and lack of attachment.

• Being male: Males, particularly teen and young adult males, are higher users of porn and more likely than women to develop problem use.

• Too much time online: Spending a lot of time online increases a person’s risk for problem porn use and so does having very specific fetishes or sexual fantasies.

• Personality factors: Neuroticism or high levels of risk taking or seeking novelty are also thought to increase the risk for problem sexual behaviors.

• Comorbid mental health disorders: There is a very high rate of other addictive and mental health disorders in people who report compulsive sexual behaviors, making this a significant risk factor.

In addition to these risk factors, it’s important to note that personal choices are a major factor that determines whether or not a person develops an addiction. For example, it is possible to have none of the above risk factors and still develop an addiction to porn by:

• Using porn excessively or too often

• Substituting porn for real-life sex

• Seeking out more extreme types of porn

• Using porn in times or places where it is unacceptable

• Relying on porn to cope with difficult feelings or stress

• Giving into urges to watch porn on a regular basis

• Continuing to watch porn after experiencing direct consequences

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