Why we need to talk about porn

It may not be the most comfortable topics of conversation but, as Max Benwell argues, it's now too huge to ignore

The world is still hooked on mainstream porn. Pornhub, the world’s biggest porn site, says it received 18.35 billion visits in 2014. Its visitors watched 78.9 billion videos – 11 for each person on earth. And that's just one site.

Free online porn is now everywhere, but we still tend to shy away from talking about it. It's an easy thing to, but it’s this anxiety that lets the mainstream porn industry get away with so much.

The unnamed actor has succeeded in preventing a former lover publishing sexually explicit images of him (PA)

Stories of abuse, coercion and exploitation are rife within the industry. And it's not only bad for those involved; there are studies that have suggested links between watching porn and issues such as erectile dysfuction, desensitisation, and an inability to enjoy sex.

So what should we do? Continue watching mainstream porn in its current form, or talk about how it could be improved for those both making and watching it?