Online Gambling and Porn Are Leaving Young Men Dejected, Marriage Think Tank Finds

Gambling is becoming a primary driver of mental distress among young men, triggering levels of isolation and dejection similar to heavy pornography use.

That’s according to a multi-part study conducted by the Institute for Family Studies (IFS), a think tank focusing on “marriage, child well-being, family formation, parenting, and the role of technology in family life.”

The group’s data on young men’s wagering habits were revealed in the context of a study indicating that nearly two-thirds of college-age males are day trading stocks — itself an adventurous habit and one with a similar risk profile to sports betting. Worse yet, wagering is causing mental angst in young men.

The study indicates that young men, primarily those in the 18 to 29 age group, who are mentally suffering due to betting are apt to lack friendships and romantic relationships and may be indulging other bad habits, including usage of marijuana, pornography and video games.

Betting, Porn Spur Feelings of Failure

At the intersection of day trading and young men lies a deep sense of failure. A losing trade leaves them feeling incompetent, sparking a cycle of dejection identical to the toll taken by sports betting and adult entertainment.

Young people have long been viewed as vulnerable to problematic wagering habits and the IFS study bears out that thesis. It notes that 23% of young men are betting every day with another 12% doing so multiple times in a week.

The linkages don’t appear conclusive, but many male bettors in the 18-29 cohort may well be watching adult videos as 42% do so each day and 27% do so several times a week, according to the IFS. What is clear is that both betting and pornography consumption elicit negative feelings in young men.

“Around 2 in 3 regular online gamblers say it has caused them at least some distress. Of those who watch pornography many times a day or more, 43% experience loneliness, 36% feel depressed, and 29% are anxious,” observes the IFS.

“Feeling like a failure is also closely tied to these activities. For example, 66% of daily gamblers and 63% of daily pornography watchers, compared to 42% of men as a whole, report feeling like a failure,” the report notes.

Interesting Connections

Amid the proliferation of regulated internet betting in the U.S., more studies are examining the effects of the habit. As is the case with the IFS survey, some academic research is leaning into potential societal damage caused by increased wagering.

There are indications daily life plays a role in young men’s betting proclivities.

For example, 25% and 31% of young men working full or part time say they’ve been moderately distressed by online betting, but those percentages jump to 30% and 37%, respectively, for students/caregivers and unemployed young men, according to the IFS research.

Likewise, there appear to be links between fatherhood and wagering distress.

The IFS study notes that 16% of married fathers and 29% of single dads report feeling moderate distress from internet betting, but those figures climb to 55% and 31%, respectively, for married young men who aren’t fathers and single 18-29 men who don’t have children.