Imagine every seat filled at a major league baseball stadium. That’s how many people logged on to Pornhub in March 2026 every thirty seconds. Over 41,000 people, to be precise. Before the 21st century, pornography was consumed in basements or dingy theaters by adults who were willing to be seen purchasing obscene materials. The birth of the internet exponentially increased global access to porn. Now, it’s being consumed by the coworker who brings you coffee every day, the accountant who does your taxes every year, and even by your 15-year-old nephew. Ninety percent of porn is consumed on a phone, with the highest amount of consumption during work hours.Prevailing case law regarding pornography has allowed for this media empire to grossly expand. Miller v. California dictates that obscene material is permissible if it contains some “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” This loose regulation has allowed for 4.5 million porn sites to continue to exist today.
As the lead in a $97 billion industry, Pornhub alone is able to generate more monthly traffic than Netflix, TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest combined.
Backed by immense financial incentives, the pop culture industry has normalized seeing sex on a screen. Many modern movies made for “mature” audiences include a sex scene of some kind. Our society has become desensitized and has subconsciously accepted viewing different forms of porn without fully realizing the intense effects it has on us mentally, relationally, and physically.
