How do you stop watching porn?

No single step works for everyone, and most people slip at least once. The seven steps below work together. Start with one or two today, and add the others over the next weeks.

How do you stop watching porn? The Short Answer

1. Know your triggers. Write down the moods, times and places that come before an urge.
2. Remove easy access. Move your phone and laptop out of the places where you use porn.
3. Block content. Use a blocker on every device. It adds a pause before you act.
4. Fill the time. Plan a short activity for the times when urges are strongest.
5. Track your urges. Log each urge and what you did. Patterns show up after a few weeks.
6. Get support. Tell one person you trust, or talk to a therapist.
7. Plan for a slip. Decide now what you will do after a lapse, so one slip does not become a week.

Step 1: Know your triggers

A trigger is anything that sets off an urge. Cleveland Clinic lists two common types. The first type is a feeling, such as anxiety, low mood, irritability, boredom or emptiness. The second type is exposure to sexual content, such as online porn or sexualised media (Cleveland Clinic).

Places and devices can also be triggers. Researchers read 104 journals from men on a quit-porn forum. The writers named electronic media, attractive people and the bedroom as common cues. Negative feelings were a major internal trigger. One writer said that lying in bed with nothing to do was “a serious trigger” (Fernandez et al., 2021).

For one week, write down each urge. Note the time, the place, your mood and what you did just before. You will probably see two or three triggers that repeat.

Step 2: Remove easy access and block content

Make the first step toward porn slower. Cleveland Clinic says that when certain situations or content increase urges, limiting access may help. Its examples are blocking websites and changing routines (Cleveland Clinic).

In the forum study, writers put the same advice into practice (Fernandez et al., 2021):

• They used blocking apps. The writers found them somewhat useful. One writer said that he could bypass the blocker, but it still served as a reminder.
• They moved devices. Some used the laptop only in rooms where they felt less tempted.
• They handed the phone to someone else. Some left the smartphone with a friend at high-risk times.

A blocker adds a pause. It does not remove the urge, but it gives you a few seconds to choose. Put the phone outside the bedroom at night. Turn off apps and feeds that show you sexualised images.

Step 3: Fill the time and track your urges

An empty hour is a common risk. Plan what you will do at your high-risk times. Cleveland Clinic says that activities such as exercise, hobbies, creative work or relaxation may release stress (Cleveland Clinic). Forum writers used exercise, time with other people, keeping busy and cold showers (Fernandez et al., 2021).

Do not try to push the thought out of your head. The same study found that trying to suppress thoughts often made things worse. Act instead. Stand up, leave the room, or start the activity you planned.

Tracking turns a vague problem into data. Writers in the study kept a journal. Writing during a craving or after a lapse helped them see their thinking in a new way (Fernandez et al., 2021). Log each urge, its trigger, how strong it was, and what you did. Review the log each week.

Step 4: Get support

You do not have to do this alone. In the forum study, social support and accountability were the resources that helped writers most. Some asked another member to be their accountability partner. Others said that honest sharing kept them motivated (Fernandez et al., 2021).

A therapist is another option. Cleveland Clinic says that therapy is the main treatment for compulsive sexual behavior disorder. Therapy can work on triggers and patterns. It can be one to one, with a partner or in a group. A doctor may also add medication to therapy (Cleveland Clinic).

Not everyone who wants to quit has a disorder. To learn the difference, read the signs of porn addiction.

Step 5: Plan for a slip

Expect a slip, and plan for it. More than half of the 104 journal writers reported at least one lapse (Fernandez et al., 2021). A slip is data, not failure. Ask what came just before it, and add that trigger to your plan.

The new habits that you build can survive a missed day. A study of new health habits found that missing one chance to do the behavior did not seriously harm the habit. Progress soon started again (Gardner et al., 2012). Keep your daily walk or check-in going after a slip.

Some people feel worse for a while after they stop. To know what to expect, read what happens when you stop watching porn.

Common mistakes:

• You rely on willpower only. Change your setup too: devices, rooms and routines.
• You restart from zero after every slip. Count the urges you resisted, not only the days.
• You keep it secret. Tell one person, or join a support group.
• You fight the thought. Change the activity instead.

How Reboot helps you follow the plan

Reboot is an app for iPhone and Android that turns these steps into a daily routine. It does not replace a doctor or a therapist.

The adult-content blocker uses Screen Time to block adult content on iPhone. On Android, it shows you how to turn on a filtering DNS server that hides adult sites. When an urge hits, open Emergency help. It gives you a quick task: write in your journal, review your manifesto, solve a mental sum or do a simple exercise.

The Daily Check-In logs your victories, triggers, mood and sleep. You can add your own custom triggers. Trends and insights then show the patterns over time. The daily routine gives you short tasks such as guided breathing and writing, so the high-risk hours have a plan.

Reboot is a support tool. It does not diagnose or treat any condition.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. If porn use causes you distress, talk to a doctor or a licensed therapist. If you feel unsafe or think about harming yourself, call your local emergency number or a crisis line now.