Hi there,
Porn is something thats made for adults, but I know that young people sometimes watch it too. Watching porn doesnt make you a bad person, but it can have an effect on you that you didnt want it to.
Masturbating is absolutely okay and not unusual at all. Lots of people do it - young and old, people of any gender, and people of every sexual orientation. You should feel okay about doing this as much or as little as you like, although it can feel addictive. If you get to a point where its starting to affect other parts of your life you could think about asking for help. You could book an appointment with your GP to talk things through. They will be used to hearing these things.
Porn is something that isnt meant to be seen until someone is older and is able to understand their feelings a bit more. Watching porn is a personal decision for you, but be aware that it can give a really unrealistic view of what sex is really like. Its usually never like it is in porn films and people are a lot more real, with real feelings.
If youre finding it hard to stop watching porn, but feel okay about masturbating then maybe you can try doing that first. You may find you dont want to watch porn after you have masturbated. If you want to stop doing both and are finding it difficult then you can try and stop slowly you dont have to try to stop entirely straight away.
I hope this has helped, but if you do want to talk more then do get in touch with one of our counsellors. You can call on 0800 1111, send an email or log on for a 1-2-1 chat.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
