There is an app that helps people addicted to porn It's called Quittr and it was created by two young Americans with the aim of helping their peers

In the scientific literature there is no precise weekly hour threshold beyond which the consumption of pornographic content automatically becomes pathological. In recent years, however, awareness and attention toward this type of disorder have increased, also thanks to tools designed to help those who feel they may have a problem with it. Among these is Quittr, an app created by two young Americans with the aim of helping their peers and others reduce the consumption of online pornography.

The goal of Quittr is to help users understand when the use of pornography stops being occasional and becomes a habit so automatic and repetitive that it has negative repercussions on several other aspects of daily life. Today the app has surpassed one million downloads and has more than one hundred thousand users with an active paid subscription.

How Quittr works

Quittr is structured around the principle that behavioral changes are more effective when they do not occur in a context of solitude, especially when dealing with topics considered taboo such as pornography. At the center of the user experience, in fact, there is a collective support forum where users can share their difficulties, discuss moments of relapse, and celebrate daily progress. The community behind Quittr essentially works as a space of mutual support.

In addition to the forum, Quittr integrates several features designed to promote conscious reflection on one’s digital habits. The app provides personalized statistics on the time spent consuming explicit content and self-monitoring tools that help the user identify specific triggers, such as certain emotional states.

Quittr has received positive feedback from a significant portion of its users, enough to attract the attention of some mental health professionals interested in the potential of digital platforms for behavioral support. At the same time, the project is not without criticism: some experts emphasize that self-help tools such as apps and forums do not in themselves replace therapeutic pathways, and that the effectiveness of these tools still needs to be validated by rigorous research.

When can we talk about pornography addiction

From a scientific standpoint, so-called “pornography addiction” is not formally recognized as a diagnosis. The abuse of pornographic content, both online and offline, is however included in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of the World Health Organization, which more generally refers to a disorder of control over sexual impulses.

In 2024 the most extensive and detailed survey on the topic was published, involving more than 80,000 people across over 40 countries. For the purposes of the research, scholars identified pornography use as problematic when it is not experienced as a pleasant pastime, but as a behavior that amplifies feelings of loneliness, shame, depression, and isolation. On average, just over 5% of respondents reported having this kind of relationship with pornography.