Many workers admit to taking breaks during the day to scroll through Instagram, shop for new sneakers, or check a dating app. But what about porn? That’s definitely a taboo topic. Psychologists, adult content platforms, and cybersecurity experts agree it’s becoming more common than you might think. The reason? Online porn has become easier to access and more popular than ever.
Fascinating Research on Watching Porn at the Office
There’s limited scientific research on how widespread porn consumption is during the workday. But surveys from recent years show it happens—sometimes surprising even some workers. A global lifestyle survey by Sugarcookie with 2,000 participants found over 60% had watched porn at work. In 2020, cybersecurity giant Kaspersky reported that more than half of remote workers admitted to watching porn on devices they also use for work tasks.
Last year, Pornhub—the world’s largest adult entertainment site—confirmed that people do watch content during work hours. Their data shows the peak time is between 10 PM and 1 AM, but 4 PM is the second most popular. While some link daytime viewing to the rise of remote work, similar mid-afternoon spikes were seen even before the pandemic.
Possible Consequences at Work
High-profile media stories about people caught watching porn at work highlight how common it is. British MP Neil Parish resigned in April after viewing adult content on his phone in Parliament. A Swedish prison guard had their salary cut for watching porn on the job. An Australian airline engineer was fired for viewing adult content on a company-owned tablet.
Given the serious risks, it’s natural to wonder why people still choose to watch porn at work or on company devices.
Psychological studies show the most common reason people watch porn is boredom or to distract themselves from other feelings.
Adults also use adult content for fantasy—exploring experiences or desires not available in their own sex lives. Curiosity, self-discovery (understanding personal desires), and of course personal sexual pleasure are among the top reasons.
Craig Jackson, a professor of occupational health psychology at Birmingham City University (UK), says these factors almost all influence why people click on porn at work. But he points out that most people watching adult content in physically demanding jobs don’t use it like they would at home. In those cases, it’s less about self-pleasure and more about distraction.
