WHO warns increased smartphone usage may be linked to declining sexual response in young adults
New WHO commentary suggests that excessive smartphone screen time and constant digital overstimulation may contribute to reduced sexual arousal, lower libido, and premature ejaculation risk in young men.
Rishabh Bhola
November 1, 2025 at 10:30:00 AM
What exactly did WHO mention?
The World Health Organization this week highlighted increasing concern around the downstream physiological effects of chronic smartphone usage. While the full causal chain is still being researched, the observation is very consistent: young adults are spending more time in high-dopamine micro-reward loops — Reels, TikTok, short videos, fast frictionless scrolling — and less time in real sensory, relational, embodied experiences.
This naturally trains the nervous system to respond to fast digital stimulus — not real human intimacy.
Why does this matter for sexual response?
Sexual arousal is not instant.
It requires time, build-up, quiet attention, and parasympathetic dominance (rest mode).
Excessive smartphone use, especially porn + short-form content, keeps the brain in sympathetic mode — instant dopamine spikes → fast novelty → rapid switching → low real-world focus.
WHO notes that this shift may translate into reduced arousal response, flat affect during intimacy, reduced erection quality in some cases, and especially shorter ejaculatory latency in men who have already been struggling with overstimulation patterns.
Are men reporting effects already?
Clinically, therapists globally have been seeing a rise in “I don’t feel as much” complaints over the last 5 years.
Not because the body isn’t working — but because the nervous system is trained incorrectly.
What is the healthier direction now?
The answer is not medication.
It is nervous system retraining.
Just like fitness — sexual response is plastic.
When smartphone usage is reduced, nighttime scrolling habits are broken, porn stimulation is dialed down, and men re-connect to real embodied relational touch — arousal actually improves, sensitivity increases back, and climax control becomes easier.
If you have been noticing changes in your natural sexual response and you want to regain control in a non-medication, root-cause based way — you can book online sessions with psychosexologist Dr. Rishabh Bhola through:
https://www.rishabhbhola.com
November 1, 2025 at 10:30:00 AM
Rishabh Bhola is a psychologist and psychosexual health specialist with a focus on psychogenic erectile dysfunction, performance anxiety and premature ejaculation. His work is grounded in evidence-based behavioural therapy and non-pharmacological restoration of sexual response. He consults globally and contributes to public education on sexual health, intimacy research and male mental wellbeing.