Impact of the use of sexual material and online sexual activity during preventive social isolation due to COVID-19

Introduction. Preventive social isolation due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has represented one of the greatest health challenges of the last decades worldwide. As a result of social isolation, the consumption of information in digital media, such as the use of online sexual material, has increased, leading to risky sexual behavior in young people. Objective. To quantify the impact on the use and type of online sexual material and to determine the predictors of online sexual activity in people in preventive social isolation due to COVID-19. Method. Multivariate cross-sectional study; 385 participants were studied and contacted through an online survey. Results. Internet pages and social networks are the main platforms for the use of online sexual material, and its consumption was more frequent in those who had more days of preventive social isolation. Predictors of sexual activity were cybersex (β = .38), excitation (β = .36), masturbation (β = .34), and adventure (β = .33), which were found to be statistically significant (p ˂ .001). Discussion and conclusion. Privacy plays an important role in the use of online sexual material and activities, and greater consumption can be found in intimacy. It is important to be alert to the effects of the pandemic on sexual risk behavior and further research is needed.