Research shows that almost two-thirds of young people are addicted to online pornography
Nearly two-thirds of young people are now addicted to online pornography, according to a leading mental health and addiction clinic.
Paracelsus Recovery said research into patients referred for treatment suggested porn addiction was significantly more common than official figures suggest.
Children are being exposed to online pornography from the age of nine, according to a recent study by the Children's Commissioner for England.
A quarter of 16 to 21 year olds first saw pornography on the internet when they were in primary school. By age 13, 50 percent had been exposed.
But Paracelsus Recovery, based in Zurich and London, warned it had seen a 150 per cent increase in the number of people being treated for porn addiction between 2019 and 2023.
CEO Jan Gerber said: 'Our research clearly shows that porn addiction is significantly more common than official figures suggest.
A quarter of 16 to 21 year olds first saw pornography on the internet when they were in primary school. By age 13, 50 percent had been exposed (stock image)
According to a recent study by the Children's Commissioner for England, children are being exposed to online pornography from the age of nine (stock image)
A 27-year-old British man treated by Paracelsus Recovery said he became addicted to pornography after he started watching it from the age of 12 (stock image)
'We estimate that one in two men suffer from problematic porn consumption that would meet the diagnostic criteria for addiction, and one in four women.
'Among young people under the age of 18, the level is even higher, around 60 percent.'
The United Kingdom has the second highest number of Internet porn searches in the world, with an average of 16,600,000 porn searches per month. The adult film industry is estimated to be worth over £15 billion a year.
The government's Online Safety Act, passed last year, will force porn websites to use age verification software to block access to under-18s. Similar technology is already used by gambling websites.
Ofcom is in consultation with the porn industry over how the scheme will be rolled out next year.
A 27-year-old British man treated by Paracelsus Recovery said he became addicted to pornography after he started watching it from the age of 12.
He said: 'I had lost all control over my behaviour. I sat in my room smoking weed and watching porn videos from morning to night.
'I had no friends, it had ruined my education and I felt hopeless.
“I can't even put into words how disgusted and ashamed I felt, and only other people who have struggled with porn addiction can understand the depth of this despair.”