It was a dreary afternoon, so John decided to do some research for work using his home computer. His family was away for the afternoon, so it was a wonderful opportunity to get some work done. As his search began, he was excited about the fact that he was quickly finding the articles he needed for his project through various Web sites.

Then an unexpected, unsolicited pornographic site popped up before his eyes. John was now “one click away” from making a critical decision—the decision to delete or open the pornographic site. He thought, “Why not? I don’t have a problem with pornography.” His addiction was about to begin.

The facts

Like John, many men and women find themselves unconcerned about a problem with Internet addiction—whether it’s chat rooms, messenger services, cybersex, or pornography. A recent survey showed that 19,542,710 total unique visitors per month visited the top five pay-porn Web sites, and there were 98,527,275 total unique visitors per month visiting the top five free-porn Web sites. Almost 17 percent of Internet users have severe problems with using sex on the Net.

The Internet is a powerful communication tool that as a tool is not inherently good or bad. It is, rather, the content offered by its creators and the way Internet users respond to these messages, images, and sounds that result in “good” or “bad” outcomes. However, a rapidly increasing number of people find that using the Internet for sexual purposes is fraught with risks and that it interferes with many aspects of their lives, including family, work, and finances.

Why the Internet for sexual activity?

With all the various forms of media available in our sinful culture, what is it that attracts people to the Internet to engage in sexual activities in such a high-tech fashion? Five factors play a part in making the Internet appealing for someone seeking sexual arousal and fulfillment—accessibility, isolation, anonymity, affordability, and fantasy.

The 10 criteria that determine problematic, addictive Internet sexual behavior are: