Pornography is a $57 billion world-wide industry and revenue exceeds that of professional baseball, football and basketball franchises combined. Those who support the porn industry come from all different backgrounds and cultures; however, in the U.S. alone, revenue from porn is $12 billion.
And in the U.S., there are 100 million page views for porn per day (or just about one view for every three people). (Source.) Needless to say, pornography is lucrative, pervasive and prevalent today.
Despite the vast worldwide assembly of porn purveyors, there is a group of individuals who have joined together to support each other in the battle against porn addiction. The group is called “NoFap,” and participants call themselves “Fapstronauts.”
The group’s goal is to promote abstinence from porn viewing because of the negative consequences experienced by excessive pornography exposure (i.e. dysfunctional relationships, lack of energy and motivation, lowered libido, among other things).
In a recent survey of 603 Fapstronauts, the following benefits were reported by those who had quit viewing pornography:
- 35 percent noticed an increase in energy just one or two weeks after quitting porn; 67 percent said they were more energetic and productive
- 30 percent reported an adjustment to a normal level of their libido after abstaining for a few weeks
- 60 percent said sexual dysfunction had improved
- 56 percent said they a better view of their own strengths and weaknesses
Anyone struggling with porn addiction can join the NoFap support community by visiting the  NoFap site on Reddit. This website is a discussion board where participants post their successes and struggles and reach out for support.
One note of caution: Parents with pre-teens should be on high alert when it comes to pornography. Fapstronauts who began viewing porn before age 10 reported they “were three times more likely than others to masturbate four or more times a day.” (Source)
Parents should have an open dialogue with kids about pornography and other inappropriate content. Younger children may accidentally find pornography when searching the web for something else. Â Wikis, blogs, and image-only searches are danger areas for sexually-explicit content.
In addition, software solutions allow parents to protect your child’s computer, tablet, or smartphone from inappropriate web content. Such solutions, or porn blockers, are categorized as Internet content filters. With these solutions, parents may determine which websites and content are appropriate for their child’s viewing.
Note: This article and the opinions expressed are from Russ Warner, Internet safety expert and CEO of ContentWatch, makers of parental control software Net Nanny. Follow Russ Warner on Google+.
SURVEY RESULTS FROM NOFAP
