Can porn cause erectile dysfunction? What the research shows

The short version: the idea that watching pornography wears down erections is widespread online, but the research does not back it as a general rule. Large surveys in Europe and the US found that how often men watch is not consistently linked to erectile function. Where a link does appear, it is with use that men themselves describe as out of control or distressing, and the studies that found it measured both things at once, so they cannot say which came first. This page sets out what the studies found, why they disagree, what else could explain the pattern, and when erection changes are worth a check.

What is the claim?

The claim, often called “porn-induced erectile dysfunction”, is that heavy viewing of online pornography conditions arousal to novelty on a screen, so that erections with a partner become harder to get. A 2016 review written by US Navy clinicians and others put this forward as a hypothesis and presented three case reports of servicemen aged 20 to 40, two of whom reported their sexual problems improving after they cut back on or stopped watching (Park et al., Behav Sci, 2016). The authors framed it as a direction for research and called for studies in which men remove pornography as a variable. The journal later published a correction to the paper’s conflict-of-interest statement (Behav Sci correction, 2018).

The worry is common. In an analysis of posts in an online ED forum, the median author age was 24, nearly half believed their ED was psychological, and 20% had tried giving up pornography or masturbation on their own, while only 28% had seen a health professional about their ED (Jiang et al., Urology, 2020). This page is part of our library of ED myths checked against the evidence, alongside checks on vasectomy and ED and ED drugs and Alzheimer’s research.

What do studies show about pornography use and ED?

Most studies that measured how much men watch found no consistent link with ED. The main findings, in the order they were published:

Reviews of this research reach the same place. A 2019 review of observational studies found “little if no evidence” that pornography use induces ED and said longitudinal studies that control for other factors are needed (Dwulit and Rzymski, J Clin Med, 2019). A systematic review of 11 studies from 2013 to 2023 described the findings as mixed: some showed associations with sexual problems, some showed none, and some showed benefits. It concluded that simply watching is not a significant risk factor for developing a sexual dysfunction, and that problematic use mattered more than frequency (Zacharopoulos et al., Adv Exp Med Biol, 2026).

Why is the evidence on porn and ED mixed?

The studies disagree mostly because of how they were built. Almost all are surveys taken at one moment, so they can show that two things occur together but not that one caused the other. The 2019 review noted that the data come mostly from cross-sectional studies and case reports (Dwulit and Rzymski, 2019). Our guide to reading ED research explains why that difference matters.

Three other things pull results apart:

• What is measured. Hours or frequency of viewing tends to show no link. Questionnaires about feeling out of control or distressed tend to show one (Grubbs and Gola, 2019; Jacobs et al., 2021).
• Who is asked. Men recruited online, students and men attending a urology clinic are different groups, and a clinic sample is drawn from people already seeking urological care (Berger et al., 2019).
• What else is accounted for. Grubbs and Gola noted that their work relied only on self-report and did not control for medical factors that can affect erections (Grubbs and Gola, 2019). A 2026 meta-analysis of 21 studies compared male with female users and found high variation between studies, self-reported measures and limited long-term data, which its authors said restrict causal conclusions (Laleh and Yıldız Karaahmet, J Sex Med, 2026).

The single study that followed men over time is the most useful for the cause question. Across four waves in a year, Grubbs and Gola found no significant relationship between any pornography measure and the path of ED over time, and, reading their results alongside earlier studies, concluded there was no evidence of a causal link (Grubbs and Gola, 2019). One year in one online sample is not the final word, which is why reviewers still call for longer studies.

What else could explain the link with problematic use?

Several explanations fit the data without pornography being the cause. When Rowland’s team tested pornography use alongside other factors, the consistent predictors of erectile function were age, anxiety or depression, chronic medical conditions known to affect erections, low sexual interest and low relationship satisfaction (Rowland et al., 2023). Several of these overlap with the causes the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) lists: conditions affecting blood vessels, nerves or hormones, certain medicines, anxiety, depression, stress and low self-esteem, and lifestyle factors such as inactivity, heavy drinking, smoking and drug use (NIDDK, Symptoms and Causes of ED).

The direction can also run the other way. A man who is already having trouble with a partner, or is anxious or low, may turn to pornography more and feel worse about it. A survey cannot separate these paths. The 2026 systematic review pointed to problematic use, body dissatisfaction and insecurities as part of a more complex, indirect picture (Zacharopoulos et al., 2026).

Rowland’s team did not rule out a smaller effect in some men. They wrote that, although it needs checking, heavy reliance on pornography combined with very frequent masturbation might be a risk factor for weaker sexual performance with a partner in particularly vulnerable groups, such as younger and less experienced men (Rowland et al., 2023). That is a possibility to study, not a finding. Our page on whether masturbation causes ED covers the frequency question in more detail.

Is porn the reason for ED in young men?

The studies above do not show that it is, and they point to the usual causes instead. MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, notes that emotional causes of erection problems are more common in younger men and physical causes in older men, and lists stress, fear, anxiety, doubt, poor communication with a partner and expecting too much from sex among the emotional ones (MedlinePlus, Erection problems). Those overlap with what our guide on telling ED and performance anxiety apart describes.

Age matters for what to check, too. Our guides to ED in your 20s and ED in your 30s and 40s cover the causes that are most common at each stage, including the physical ones that a younger man can still have.

Does stopping porn help ED?

There is no controlled trial showing that it does. The evidence that it can help comes from clinical case reports in the 2016 review, which its authors presented as a reason to run proper studies rather than as proof (Park et al., 2016). Cutting back is a personal choice that carries little risk, and a man whose use feels out of control or distressing may find it worth raising with a counselor. The risk is treating it as the whole answer and skipping a check for causes such as diabetes, heart and blood vessel disease, medicines or depression, all of which NIDDK lists among the causes of ED (NIDDK).

When is it worth getting checked?

Occasional trouble is common, but MedlinePlus advises contacting a provider if the problem does not go away with lifestyle changes, if it begins after an injury or prostate surgery, or if it comes with other symptoms such as low back pain, abdominal pain or a change in urination. It also notes that ED may be a sign of health problems such as diabetes or heart disease, so it is not worth waiting on (MedlinePlus, Erection problems).

A clinician will usually ask about erections during sleep or in the morning, about stress and mood, about relationships, and about alcohol, smoking and medicines; MedlinePlus says that having erections in the morning or at night makes a physical cause less likely (MedlinePlus). Honest answers, including about pornography use if asked, help the clinician weigh the possible causes. Our guide to talking to a doctor about ED covers how to start that conversation. If you think a medicine you take is involved, do not change or stop it without talking to your provider first.

Sources

• Landripet I, Štulhofer A. Is pornography use associated with sexual difficulties and dysfunctions among younger heterosexual men? J Sex Med. 2015;12(5):1136: four online samples from three European countries; little evidence of an association with ED.
• Prause N, Pfaus J. Viewing sexual stimuli associated with greater sexual responsiveness, not erectile dysfunction. Sex Med. 2015;3(2):90-98: 280 men; viewing hours unrelated to erectile function with a partner.
• Grubbs JB, Gola M. Is pornography use related to erectile functioning? Results from cross-sectional and latent growth curve analyses. J Sex Med. 2019;16(1):111-125: problematic use linked to ED at one point in time; no link to ED trajectories over a year.
• Berger JH et al. Survey of sexual function and pornography. Mil Med. 2019;184(11-12):731-737: urology clinic survey of adults aged 20 to 40.
• Jacobs T et al. Associations between online pornography consumption and sexual dysfunction in young men. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2021;7(10):e32542: 3,419 men aged 18 to 35; problematic use associated with ED.
• Rowland DL et al. Do pornography use and masturbation play a role in erectile dysfunction and relationship satisfaction in men? Int J Impot Res. 2023;35(6):548-557: 3,586 men; pornography use frequency unrelated to erectile function; long-known risk factors were the consistent predictors.
• Park BY et al. Is internet pornography causing sexual dysfunctions? A review with clinical reports. Behav Sci. 2016;6(3):17, with its 2018 correction: the conditioning hypothesis and case reports.
• Dwulit AD, Rzymski P. The potential associations of pornography use with sexual dysfunctions: an integrative literature review of observational studies. J Clin Med. 2019;8(7):914: little if any evidence that pornography use induces ED.
• Zacharopoulos Z et al. Pornography consumption and male sexual dysfunction: a systematic review. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2026;1487:297-304: 11 studies, mixed findings; problematic use mattered more than frequency.
• Laleh SS, Yıldız Karaahmet A. Gender differences in pornography use and sexual health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sex Med. 2026;23(3):qdag021: 21 studies; heterogeneity and self-report limit causal conclusions.
• Jiang T et al. Is it all in my head? Self-reported psychogenic erectile dysfunction and depression are common among young men seeking advice on social media. Urology. 2020;142:133-140: what young men in an online ED forum believed and tried.
• NIDDK, Symptoms and Causes of Erectile Dysfunction, last reviewed October 2024: the list of conditions, medicines, emotional issues and lifestyle factors linked to ED.
• MedlinePlus, Erection problems: emotional causes more common in younger men, nighttime and morning erections, when to contact a provider.