Mental Health
From Screens to Sheets: Understanding Social Media Addiction, Online Sexual Activity, Pornography Consumption, and Sexual Satisfaction Among Greek Adults.
Open Access: Yes.
Abstract
Introduction: Digital technologies increasingly shape contemporary sexual behaviors, with social media use, online sexual activity, and pornography consumption becoming common aspects of modern intimacy.
Aim: This study examined the relationships between social media addiction, online sexual activity, problematic pornography consumption, and sexual satisfaction among Greek adults and explored how these associations vary across demographic groups.
Materials and methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design was employed with a sample of 676 Greek adults recruited via online platforms. Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire including the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, Internet Sex Screening Test, Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale, and Satisfaction With Sex Life Scale. Nonparametric tests (Spearman rank correlation, Kruskal-Wallis tests) and simple linear regressions were conducted using SPSS Statistics version 25 (IBM Corp. Released 2017. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.).
Results: Higher levels of social media addiction, online sexual activity, and problematic pornography consumption were each significantly associated with lower sexual satisfaction (rs = -0.230, rs = -0.148, and rs = -0.293, respectively; all p < 0.001). Social media addiction positively predicted online sexual activity (β = 0.356, p < 0.001; R² = 0.127) and problematic pornography consumption (β = 0.407, p < 0.001; R² = 0.165), while negatively predicting sexual satisfaction (β = -0.244, p < 0.001; R² = 0.060). Online sexual activity strongly predicted problematic pornography consumption (β = 0.748, p < 0.001; R² = 0.559) and also predicted lower sexual satisfaction (β = -0.215, p < 0.001; R² = 0.046). Demographic analyses showed that transgender participants, younger individuals, and those with lower educational attainment reported higher levels of social media addiction (p < 0.05), online sexual activity (p < 0.05), and problematic pornography use (p < 0.05). Regarding sexual orientation, bisexual and pansexual participants demonstrated the lowest sexual satisfaction, whereas homosexual participants reported the highest levels of sexual satisfaction (p < 0.001).
Conclusions: The findings suggest that excessive engagement in digital sexual behaviors and problematic online media use are linked to reduced sexual satisfaction in Greek adults. These associations appear consistent across demographic groups but are more pronounced in specific populations. The results underscore the need for culturally tailored interventions promoting balanced digital engagement, sexual health education, and awareness of the potential psychological and relational impacts of online sexual behaviors.
Relevance
Among adults in Greece, social media addiction was “positively correlated” with both online sexual activity (e.g., sexting, video sex) and problematic pornography consumption – and “negatively correlated with satisfaction with sex life.” Likewise, online sexual activity was “positively correlated” with problematic pornography consumption and “negatively correlated with satisfaction with sex life.” And, most importantly, “problematic pornography consumption was also negatively correlated with satisfaction with sex life.”
Additionally, social media addiction and online sexual activity “significantly” and “strongly” predicted problematic and higher pornography consumption – and problematic pornography consumption “significantly predicted” lower stasifaction with sex life.
Citation
Braouzou, I., & Gkouletsa, K. (2025). From Screens to Sheets: Understanding Social Media Addiction, Online Sexual Activity, Pornography Consumption, and Sexual Satisfaction Among Greek Adults. Cureus, 17(12), Article e98947. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.98947
