There was a time, not so long ago, when Viagra was the drug of choice for impotent middle-aged men who needed a little help rising to the occasion. But more recently, there has been a surge in young British men in their 20s experiencing erectile problems.

This conclusion is increasingly being reported by the UK’s leading psychosexual therapists, including Angela Gregory, a sexual and relationship psychotherapist who treats men with erectile dysfunction at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

‘The number of young men with performance issues has escalated in the past five years,’ she says. ‘Historically, I saw men in their 40s/50s with underlying health issues, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, ME or prostate problems. Now, I see as many “healthy” men in their 20s – the split is equal.’

So what’s making young British men flop – and old before their time? It seems that the tidal wave of online porn is giving a whole generation performance anxiety issues in the bedroom. In short, while porn still ‘does it’ for them, ‘real’ women do not.

So, to put it simply: is porn bad for you?

ERECTILE PROBLEMS

Porn-induced erectile dysfunction is now so widespread that the first question Angela asks of her male patients is ‘Do you watch online porn?’ In 60% of cases, the answer is an emphatic ‘Yes’.

‘Some can’t achieve an erection, but [porn] can also lead to inhibited or delayed ejaculation,’ says Angela. ‘Young men feel they are expected to perform like porn stars, and this can be overwhelming. Lots of young women now want “porn sex”, and these guys are either not equipped to deal with these demands, or don’t want to.’

One of these young men, known only as Nick, recently appeared in a BBC documentary called Brought up on Porn.

‘I found that when I was lying next to a girl, I just wouldn’t be horny at all – despite being really attracted to the girl – because my sexuality was completely wired towards porn,’ he says.

This chimes with my own work on porn addiction, a topic I’ve spoken about with thousands of teenagers in schools as part of my work as a porn safeguarding educator for the Self-Esteem Team – an organisation that runs workshops on mental health.

In October 2013, I presented Channel 4’s Porn on the Brain and worked intimately with 23 of the UK’s heaviest male porn users, all of whom felt addicted to their online vice.

One, a funny, handsome 19-year-old lad from Oxford, called Calum, used porn an eye-watering 28 times a day – at home, work, in pub toilets and even in his car and on buses.

Calum, who had lots of real-world sexual partners, suffered intense frustration when actually faced with a woman, saying: ‘Real sex is never as good as porn.’ He had to visualise porn to achieve and maintain an erection, and to climax, which could take hours.

BODY ISSUES

Increasingly, today’s young men feel belittled by porn’s ripped, hairless stars, who can make women orgasm all night, with penises the size of baguettes.

My work has also shown me that relentless exposure to porn can induce body dysmorphia, eating disorders, obsessive gym schedules and anxiety in men – conditions that for decades have been the preserve of young women. It seems porn has introduced a grim equality on body confidence.

In less than a decade, the Viagra generation has fast-forwarded 30 years, as an increasing number of young men turn to chemical assistance to achieve an erection.

Last year, the tragic story emerged of the UK’s youngest Viagra addict, a boy of 13 who became hooked after classmates mocked he’d be ‘bad in bed’ without it. He started watching porn on his smartphone aged 12 and went on to take up to six pills a night. He said: ‘Most people think Viagra is for middle-aged men, but you can easily get it in schools now.’

The boy’s psychotherapist, Steve Pope, added: ‘My practice has seen an increasing number of teenagers with dependency issues around impotency drugs.’

But perhaps the biggest fear is that porn is ‘poisoning’ young minds and turning men on to violent sex. In 2013, the deputy children’s commissioner for England Sue Berelowitz and more than 100 other academics were so concerned that rape fantasy porn was causing ‘huge cultural harm’ they wrote to then prime minister David Cameron asking for it to be made illegal.

HERE COME THE GIRLS

But it’s not just men who are having problems with porn. I’ve encountered a growing number of women, who also claim to be addicted.

One is Lauren, 21, an au pair from north London. ‘I got addicted to webcam sex with strangers when I was 14,’ she told me. ‘By 18, I had been in porn rehab. I saw every man as a penis on legs. I’d go to the shops for a pint of milk and come back with the guy from the shop. I’d go clubbing then wake up in strangers’ beds with no idea how I got there. Only going to Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous keeps me on the straight and narrow.’

Anecdotal evidence is also growing from GPs, who are seeing a rising number of young women with sexual trauma injuries.

Angela says: ‘I’ve seen a spike in the numbers of women who report with extreme soreness through sex. This is not enforced sex – this is consensual, but rough sex with their partners, who pound away at them, because that’s what they think they’re meant to do. Porn taught them.’

COPYCAT SEX

Last year, an alarming Swedish study of 393 16-year-old girls concluded that those who had watched pornography were twice as likely to have tried anal sex. Overall, 30% of the girls had watched porn. Of those, 30% had experience of anal sex, compared with 15% of the girls who did not watch porn at all.

Almost half (43%) of the girls who’d seen porn had fantasies about trying to copy sexual acts seen in pornography, while 39% had actually tried to copy sexual activities they had seen.

Since a significant proportion of those who hadn’t watched porn had tried anal sex, there is serious concern that they are trying it because their boyfriends are pestering them to do it.

The report’s author Magdalena Mattebo says: ‘Pornography-consuming girls reported sexual experiences and a risky lifestyle to a greater extent compared with non-consuming girls. This indicates that pornography consumption may influence sexualisation and lifestyle.’

This suggests we are copycat creatures, in that we are copying risky sexual acts, despite feeling overwhelmed at the prospect. There’s a cruel irony in all of this. Most young people watch porn not only for immediate gratification, but to learn how to become better lovers.

Now many are discovering it’s hindering, rather than helping, their enjoyment.

Some men can’t rise to the occasion. Some women can’t walk afterwards. Which makes you think: isn’t it time to turn off the porn and get turned on the old-fashioned way instead?

Let’s go back to basics. Forget the exhausting and punishing sexual gymnastics of porn: vanilla is the new vanilla. We need to learn how to make love again, not f**k.

CASE AND POINT

Porn addiction took a step closer to being officially recognised thanks to the case of Dr Rupert Pemsel, an anaesthetist who kept his job despite paying for sex with an escort on duty.

Dr Pemsel, 33, met with Leanne Kennedy, 29, a prostitute he met online, at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton.

When Leanne tried to blackmail Dr Pemsel for £10,000, he had an ‘epiphany moment’ that an online porn addiction was the root cause. He gave up pornography and turned to mindfulness.

Read more: Are you having conscious sex?