Internet Sex Addiction: Risk Factors, Stages of Development, and Treatment
Abstract
Internet sex addiction typically involves viewing, downloading, and trading online pornography or engagement in adult fantasy role-play rooms. Adult Web sites comprise the largest segment of electronic commerce catering to a wide variety of sexual interests. Given the widespread availability of sexually explicit material online, Internet sex addiction is the most common form of problem online behavior among users. Using research and illustrative case studies, this chapter explores how sexually explicit material enters our homes, schools, and business, and examines the risk factors that lead to addiction. As new users are more at risk to become hooked on online porn or adult sex chat rooms, this chapter presents a model that shows the progressive stages of development underlying Internet sex addiction and how the Internet enables sexually explicit behavior to develop. Finally, this chapter reviews current treatment practices associated with the disorder and the implications of new mobile technologies.
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These emotions reinforce increases in online sexual behavior.
“This emotion reinforce the increases of online sexual behaviour.¹⁷”
From Cybersex addiction: An overview of the development and treatment of a newly emerging disorder (2020) · cites this paper as [17]
People with online sexual addiction feel frustrated, worried, angry, anxious, or depressed when offline.
“When offline, they feel frustrated, worried, angry, anxious, or depressed.”
From Cybersex addiction: An overview of the development and treatment of a newly emerging disorder (2020) · cites this paper as [17]
People with online sexual addiction feel more excited, attractive, desirable, and happier when online.
“Whereas when they are online, they feel more excited, attractive and more desireable by others on the internet, so that they feel happier.”
From Cybersex addiction: An overview of the development and treatment of a newly emerging disorder (2020) · cites this paper as [17]
In the last phase of cybersex addiction, addicts feel hopeless and cannot be helped, and withdrawal and relapse may occur.
“In the last phase, namely the phase of helplessness, addicts feel hopeless and cannot be helped. This will then evolve into the feeling of withdrawal and relapse may also occur. 17,25”
From Cybersex addiction: An overview of the development and treatment of a newly emerging disorder (2020) · cites this paper as [17]
Abstinence from online sexual activity is difficult if an individual's work or daily activities require a computer or internet.
“It is not easy to become abstinent with an online sexual activity if an individual's work or daily activities require a computer or internet.¹⁷”
From Cybersex addiction: An overview of the development and treatment of a newly emerging disorder (2020) · cites this paper as [17]
Continuous engagement in online sexual activities despite negative consequences occurs in cybersex addiction.
“This leads to continuous engagement in online sexual activities despite negative consequences.¹⁷”
From Cybersex addiction: An overview of the development and treatment of a newly emerging disorder (2020) · cites this paper as [17]
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“In one of the first approaches, which distinctly examined cybersex addiction, Young (2008) stated that anticipated sexual arousal as well as experienced gratification should be relevant for developing and maintaining pathological patterns of cybersex consumption.”
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“…relationship substitutes, manifesting initially as low-risk behaviors (e.g., mainstream Internet pornography), often escalate through the familiar addiction cycle into increasingly deviant images and scenarios whereby individuals may not seek a relationship with one romantic partner (Young, 2008).”
BackgroundOnline dating is associated with sex addiction and social anxiety
Zlot, Y., Goldstein, M., Cohen, K., & Weinstein, A. (2018) · Journal of Behavioral Addictions · doi:10.1556/2006.7.2018.66 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Mennig, M., Tennie, S., & Barke, A. (2021) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-021-02101-w · Cited by 41 · see citing works
“These include symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, loss of concentration, lower self-esteem, as well as reduced physical and psychological well-being (Duffy et al., 2016; Kor et al., 2014; Sniewski et al., 2018; Young, 2008).”
BackgroundCyber-Syndrome and its Formation, Classification, Recovery and Prevention
Ning, H., Dhelim, S., Bouras, M. A., Khelloufi, A., & Ullah, A. (2018) · IEEE Access · doi:10.1109/access.2018.2848286 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“In [15], Internet sex addiction (ISA) is investigated, ISA typically involves viewing, downloading, and trading online pornography in unreasonable amount, the authors argue that due to widespread of online explicit sexual materials, ISA becomes the most common behavioral disorder among netizens, the authors have exami…”
BackgroundProblematic Online Pornography Use: A Media Attendance Perspective
Sirianni, J. M., & Vishwanath, A. (2015) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224499.2014.980496 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“The negative repercussions of online pornography addiction have been discussed at length in the past (Chaney & Chang, 2005; Laaser & Gregoire, 2003; Levert, 2007; Young, 2008).”
BackgroundQuinn, J. F., & Forsyth, C. J. (2013) · Deviant Behavior · doi:10.1080/01639625.2012.748629 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
“There is also concern with the role of the Internet in the growth of hypersexuality or sex addiction (Young 2008).”
BackgroundSocial Media and Gender Issues
Webb, L. M., & Temple, N. (2015) · Advances in media, entertainment and the arts (AMEA) book series · doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-8310-5.ch025 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Factor structure of the Cybersex Motives Questionnaire
Franc, E., Khazaal, Y., Jasiowka, K., Lepers, T., Bianchi‐Demicheli, F., & Rothen, S. (2018) · Journal of Behavioral Addictions · doi:10.1556/2006.7.2018.67 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Facebook and YouTube addiction: The usage pattern of Malaysian students
Moghavvemi, S., Sulaiman, A. B., Jaafar, N. I., & Kasem, N. (2017) · International Conference on Research and Innovation in Information Systems · doi:10.1109/icriis.2017.8002516 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
“by Vishwanath [47], Facebook habits include individual’s frequency of checking, responding, and interacting with this platform, and subsequently encompasses the inability of individuals to regulate such actions.”
BackgroundHare, K. A., Gahagan, J., Jackson, L. A., & Steenbeek, A. (2014) · The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality · doi:10.3138/cjhs.2732 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Sexual Excitability and Dysfunctional Coping Determine Cybersex Addiction in Homosexual Males
Laier, C., Pekal, J., & Brand, M. (2015) · Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2015.0152 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Hagedorn, W. B. (2009) · Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity The Journal of Treatment and Prevention · doi:10.1080/10720160903399855 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Dysregulated Pornography Use and the Possibility of a Unipathway Approach
Wright, P. J. (2018) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-018-1277-5 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Chasioti, D., & Binnie, J. (2021) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-021-01930-z · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Child sex tourism: exploring the issues
Panko, T. R., & GEORGE, B. P. (2012) · Criminal Justice Studies · doi:10.1080/1478601x.2012.657904 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“Many studies indicate that the incidence of behavioral disorders potentially linked to the Internet (such as cybersex addiction) is increasing (Young, 2008).”
BackgroundMarshall, L. E., O’Brien, M. D., Marshall, W. L., Booth, B. D., & Davis, A. (2012) · Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity The Journal of Treatment and Prevention · doi:10.1080/10720162.2012.665291 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Massad, S., Karam, R., Brown, R. A., Glick, P., Shaheen, M., Linnemayr, S., & Khammash, U. M. (2014) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-1213 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“At this stage, life becomes uncontrollable for the addict and relationships or careers may be jeopardized because of the compulsive behavior [18].”
BackgroundNormative Pressure Affects Attitudes Toward Pornography
Grigoropoulos, I. N. (2022) · Sexuality & Culture · doi:10.1007/s12119-022-10036-0 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
No Sex Difference Found: Cues of Sexual Stimuli Activate the Reward System in both Sexes
Stark, R. M., Klein, S., Kruse, O., Weygandt, M., Leufgens, L. K., Schweckendiek, J., & Strahler, J. (2019) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.07.049 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Mauer-Vakil, D., & Bahji, A. (2020) · The Canadian Journal of Addiction · doi:10.1097/cxa.0000000000000091 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
The Psychological Impacts of Internet Pornography Addiction on Adolescents
Setyawati, R., Hartini, N., & Suryanto, S. (2020) · Humaniora · doi:10.21512/humaniora.v11i3.6682 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Frequency and Duration of Use, Craving and Negative Emotions in Problematic Online Sexual Activities
Chen, L., Ding, C., Jiang, X., & Potenza, M. N. (2018) · Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity The Journal of Treatment and Prevention · doi:10.1080/10720162.2018.1547234 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“Problematic OSAs may progressively involve stages from browsing pornographic information to problematic use (Young, 2008).”
BackgroundVolk, F. A., Floyd, C. G., Bohannon, K. E., Cole, S. M., McNichol, K. M., Schott, E. A., & Williams, Z. D. R. (2019) · Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity The Journal of Treatment and Prevention · doi:10.1080/10720162.2019.1670301 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“…use and addiction there are three prevailing views that include: (a) pornography use and masturbation can meet the criteria for addiction (Young, 2008), (b) pornography use is not addictive and any of the associated behaviors can be more simply attributed to underlying foundational…”
BackgroundSubjective reward value of visual sexual stimuli is coded in human striatum and orbitofrontal cortex
Klein, S., Kruse, O., Markert, C., León, I. T., Strahler, J., & Stark, R. M. (2020) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112792 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
When Too Much Usage is Too Much: Exploring the Process of IT Addiction
Vaghefi, I., & Lapointe, L. (2014) · Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) · doi:10.1109/hicss.2014.553 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Whelan, G., & Brown, J. (2021) · The Journal of Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.06.014 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Hagedorn, W. B. (2009) · Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity The Journal of Treatment and Prevention · doi:10.1080/10720160903202604 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Contribution of sexual desire and motives to the compulsive use of cybersex
Brahim, F. B., Rothen, S., Bianchi‐Demicheli, F., Courtois, R., & Khazaal, Y. (2019) · Journal of Behavioral Addictions · doi:10.1556/2006.8.2019.47 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Huțul, T., & Karner‐Huțuleac, A. (2024) · International Journal of Sexual Health · doi:10.1080/19317611.2024.2364642 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“Among the most well-known explanatory models are “Triple-A Engine” (Cooper, 1998) – which was subsequently invalidated (Byers et al., 2004), “Internet Sex Addiction” (Young, 2008), and “Pornography Problems Due to Moral Incongruence (PPMI)” (Grubbs, Perry, Wilt, & Reid, 2019).”
Teong, K. V., & Hwa, M. A. C. (2016) · Journal of Management Research · doi:10.5296/jmr.v8i2.9092 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
- Authors
- Young, K. S.
- Affiliations
- The Center for Internet Addiction Recovery
- Corresponding author
- Young, Kimberly S.
- ORCID
- Young, Kimberly S.
- Venue
- American Behavioral Scientist
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2008-09
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 21-37
- ISSN
- 0002-7642 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-3381
- OpenAlex
- W1994005242
- Cited by
- 227
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 6.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Behavioral Scientist (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Gambling Behavior and Treatments
- Keywords
- online pornography, sexually explicit material, risk factors, mobile technology
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