While it is always important to recognise and validate a young person’s unique experience and personal feelings related to porn usage, the term ‘porn addiction’ may or may not describe a clinical experience of problematic porn usage. A thorough assessment should therefore always be undertaken to better understand each young person’s experience and concerns, and to identify what support may be needed.

In Aotearoa struggling to cut down on porn is particularly common amongst young porn-users, with 42% of 14 to 17-year-old ‘regular’ users wanting to watch less porn but finding it hard to cut back (41).