Pornography Addiction: Causes, Effects, and Cures

By Ammar Awais – Hiba Magazine Team Writer

Pornography, also known as porn, is one of the most dangerous obsessions in the modern world for multiple reasons. First, it can catch any rational person off guard and cause them to fall victim to its lure. Second, it can be highly addictive – those who get attached to porn find it extremely difficult to overcome this habit. And third, porn addiction has not been adequately addressed or tackled despite becoming a global issue.

A 2025 report by worldmetrics.org reveals some startling facts about how porn has gripped the digital world. According to the report, the porn industry generates annual revenue of over USD 97 billion.

Every second, around 28,000 porn-related online searches are performed, with 35% of all internet downloads comprising pornographic content. 87% of young men and 31% of young women included in the study report watching porn at least once a week. Moreover, the average age at which a person is first exposed to porn is just 11 years old!

While porn is often considered a product of the West, internet porn searches are equally rampant in Muslim nations, including Pakistan, as can easily be verified through Google Trends. Porn addiction is undoubtedly a common and destructive habit among Muslims, particularly the youth. This harsh reality begs the question: why do we not intellectually talk about porn addiction and try to address this pressing issue?

While the Western society benefits financially from downplaying the harm associated with porn, the Muslim society generally considers porn as taboo.

This irresponsible approach has failed to prevent millions of Muslims from falling prey to porn and ruining their lives in the process – a situation likely to worsen if we continue to remain in denial.

Let us, therefore, understand the causes, effects, and cures to porn addiction which would enable us and our loved ones to stay vigilant and help others escape its clutches. 

Causes of Porn Addiction

As the ancient proverb goes, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. The more time we spend without doing anything productive, the more likely we are to indulge in sins such as watching porn. Also, exposure to sexually suggestive or stimulating images and videos – which are commonplace today – can easily lure one towards pornographic content.

Other major causes of porn addiction include anxiety, loneliness, and low self-esteem. In particular, late marriages among adults are increasingly contributing to reliance on porn viewing.

Effects of Porn Addiction

One often turns to porn to counter loneliness. Yet, the ironic part is that porn addiction only increases depression and despair in the longer term. It also leads to a sense of guilt and powerlessness, and can make one highly irritable. It causes one to objectify others, especially women, and view them in a degrading manner.

Porn causes its viewers to indulge in fantasies.

The removal from reality, coupled with the unrealistic expectations resulting from watching porn, can lead to a lack of interest in one’s spouse, which is among the major causes of broken marriages today.

Porn addiction promotes unnatural sexual desires and aggressive tendencies, which may lead to predatory sexual behaviour.

Excessive porn viewing can take a serious toll on our bodies too. It generates an excessive dose of dopamine which has been linked to various diseases and disorders, including obesity, Parkinson’s disease, bipolar disorder, and even schizophrenia. Masturbation, which typically accompanies porn viewing, is causing alarming rates of erectile dysfunction or impotence among young men.

Cures to Porn Addiction

While the number of people falling prey to porn addiction is indeed startling, the good news is that this addiction can be cured.

It requires taking back control of one’s mind – which, in turn, requires planning, persistence, and a pro-active lifestyle. Here are five simple ways to help anyone overcome porn addiction.

1. Connect with Allah (swt): Admit your weakness before Allah (swt), and implore Him to make a way out for you. Make Istaghfaar and Dua earnestly, and read a small portion of the Quran with understanding daily. Also, try to fast regularly, such as once or twice a week, to help you curb excessive desires.  
2. Strengthen your mind: Convince yourself that you can definitely beat porn for good, like so many others have done. Learn to divert your thoughts away from porn by practicing mindfulness, meditation, and gratitude. Find out how your porn viewing financially benefits the anti-Islamic elements who own major porn websites.
3. Engage with people: Confide about your porn addiction in someone you can rely upon, such as a counsellor or trusted friend. Try to spend less time alone in your bedroom, and more with your family members. Hang out with friends whose company keeps you away from obscenities.
4. Change your habits: Introduce small lifestyle changes that can steer you away from porn. Practice sleeping early each night, and keep your phone away from your bed. Exercise daily – go to the gym, practice yoga, play a sport, or do basic stretches – anything to give your body a meaningful workout.
5. Develop a positive interest: Replace your porn habit with something that is fun, engaging, and productive. This can be anything such as gardening, painting, baking, watching documentaries, or acquiring a new skill – something that you can look forward to each day!

It is worth realizing that while marriage can serve as prevention against porn, it may not likely help someone who is already addicted to it.

This makes it important to overcome porn addiction before marrying in order to avoid ruining someone else’s life and ending up with a broken relationship. 

Finally, we must remember that the journey to overcoming porn addiction can be a fairly lengthy one. One must not despair upon stumbling, but learn to quickly rise again. This involves setting short-term goals, and rewarding oneself for every small win along the way. Let us stay determined and we shall eventually conquer this addiction, In sha Allah.