Why people watch porn at work
Many office workers would admit to taking a break from work to scroll through Instagram, shop for a new pair of shoes or even browse a new dating site. But what about watching pornography film? It’s certainly taboo, but psychologists, adult-content platforms and cyber security experts alike believe it’s become more prevalent, as online porn video content has become easier and more popular to access.
There is little academic research available on the proliferation of porn consumption during the work time, but some surveys throughout the past few years suggest it is not uncommon – which may surprise some office workers. One global survey of 2,000 people for Sugarcookie, a digital lifestyle magazine, revealed more than 60% of people questioned had watched porn content at work time. And more than half of work from home workers admitted watching adult content on devices they also used for work-related tasks, in a 2020 survey for security giant Kaspersky.
Global research last year for Pornhub, the world’s largest adult-entertainment website, supports the idea that people are watching adult content during working hours. According to the data, while 22:00 to 01:00 was the most common time to watch porn videos, 16:00 was the second most popular watching slot. While some believe daytime viewing may be connected to the remote-working trend (more on that later), the site’s data suggested a similar mid-afternoon spike even before the pandemic year.
High-profile media reports about many people caught watching porn during working hours have highlighted awareness of its prevalence. These range from British MP Neil Parish stepping down in April after viewing adult content on his smartphone in parliament, to a Swedish prison guard having his salary docked for looking at porn at work time, and an Australian airlines engineer getting fired for accessing adult content on a tablet owned by his employer.
Given the high risk of punishment if they are seen, it’s fair to wonder why exactly people might choose to watch porn at work time or on company devices. Plus, experts and bosses alike are asking questions about whether work from home is affecting the trend, and what impact it’s having on employees and businesses.
The reasons why employees watch porn
Psychological research suggests the most common reasons people watch porn are because they’re bored or stressed or want to distract themselves from other emotions. Adult content is also used for fantasy mind (experiencing or witnessing things that aren’t available in your own sex life); curiosity and self-exploration (understanding your own personal desires); and, of course, for self sexual pleasure.