In a year that’s seen two world elections, the release of Charli XCX’s iconic Brat album and the Paris Olympics, it’s fair to say it’s twelve months jampacked with landmark events. But did you know that cultural moments also have an impact on our sexual fantasies – and the content people search for online?

That’s according to Pornhub who have released their annual Year in Review findings… and the results might not be what you think. To work out what made the world tick in 2024, Pornhub analysed billions of searches to reveal the top trends amongst its users, and all the preferences which defined the past twelve months. From countries that view the most porn (clue…it’s not the UK) to the world’s most popular pornstars; the report has it all. Think of it like the sex version of Spotify wrapped – because we simply do not know enough about each other already, right?

According to the results, authenticity came out on top this year, under a trend Pornhub has labelled ‘demure desires’ – a word popularised by TikTok creator Jools Lebron after a viral TikTok which garnered over 50 million views. Under this umbrella, searches for  ‘mindful pleasure’ (+122 per cent), ‘ethical porn’ (+92%), ‘simple sex’ (+55%) and ‘authentic sex’ (+43%) all surged, suggesting people are wanting to get a bit more real with the content they’re consuming. Searches related to modesty also increased. The term “modesty” rose by 77%.

‘With the increased production of ethical and amateur porn, it seems that people want something more real,’ said Dakota Ramppen, a sexuality educator, relationship coach, and contributor at the Pornhub Sexual Wellness Center. ‘As a society, we’re moving away from the original performative nature of adult entertainment. Our need to witness comfort and chemistry while exploring the spiciest of desires is taking precedent over what we’re used to seeing.’

Other trends that defined 2024 were ‘the secret lives of Pornhub wives’ with marital searches in general on the up (tradwife, in particular’ saw a boom, up by +72%). There was even an interest in ‘Mormon wife’ – which the site suggests is down to the hit reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives – with searches up by 71%.

Now, onto categories. Like in previous years, ‘hentai’ retained the top spot as the most-searched for term globally, with categories like ‘animation’ and ‘3D’ seeing huge amounts of growth. ‘Real Amateurs’ – which jumped 10 spots – ties in with the rising desire for less commercialy produced content. As for counties, the USA took the top spot for Pornhub’s largest audience, followed by France, the Philippines and Mexico. The United Kingdom came in 5th place.

So what does a growing interest in authenticity mean for our viewing habits – and could it be a good thing? Research indicates that some 66% of men and 41% of women watch pornography at least once a month, while from 2009 to 2010, a reported 13% of all internet searches were for sexual content. Worldwide in 2024, women accounted for 38% of all visitors to Pornhub. The proportional growth in 2024 was +7%, quite a significant jump, suggesting there may be some changing perceptions around women viewing porn.

However, countless studies have pointed to the negative impact of hardcore porn on young people’s minds and attitudes towards sex. For starters, most mainstream pon rarely puts female pleasure front and centre. For many young people, pornography is the default sexual educator, but with videos depicting choking, gagging, unrealistic bodies and ‘barely legal’ creators accessible at the click of a button, porn can promote dangerous, and sometimes violent, attitudes towards women.

An analysis of top-selling and top-renting titles found 88% of scenes showed aggression. Meanwhile, a study among young men in Denmark, exposure to (nonviolent) pornography led to less egalitarian attitudes and higher levels of hostile sexism. On the more extreme end of the spectrum, a US study found that people who watched violent pornography were more than six times as likely to engage in sexually aggressive behaviour.

In recent years, there’s been a rise in people deviating from hardcore pornography though, thanks to the rise of so-called ‘ethical porn.’ Creators such as Erika Lust are making waves in the industry by creating sex-positive pornography that focuses on female pleasure. And it seems with ‘authenticity’ and ‘real sex’ highlighted in the Pornhub figures, it could be catching on – giving us some hope for the future of the industry. If Pornhub’s 2024 results are anything to go by, it could be a sign that the world is turning on to the idea of something a little more meaningful.

This trend isn’t entirely new. In 2022, Pornhub’s report found that searches for ‘reality’ grew an impressive 169%, to become one of the top 20 categories. Meanwhile, in 2022, searches for ‘romance’ and ‘romantic’ more than doubled. While there is still plenty of hardcore pornography on the internet, it’s promising to see more people seek out real (or as close to ‘real’ as porn can provide) viewing experiences.

‘The rise in acceptance of sex-positive social media accounts such as @comecurious, @amethystallure_ and @ethicalstripper has played a significant role in normalising conversations about ethical porn and promoting its benefits,’ explains sex expert and author of The Matchmaker’s Match, Annabelle Knight. ‘These accounts often fuse entertainment and education, helping people to ‘get to know’ them leads to the humanisation of sex work. These accounts help followers to learn about the importance of consent, representation, and ethical consumption in the adult industry.

‘Platforms run by sex educators, allies, and performers themselves are creating awareness about ethical porn, providing resources, and challenging the stigma associated with discussing adult content openly,’ Knight continues. ‘By discussing porn in a non-judgmental and educational way, these accounts are helping to break down the taboo surrounding adult content consumption, making it easier for people to explore ethical alternatives without shame.’

It’s also down to the rise in female viewers, Knight explains. ‘Many women have expressed dissatisfaction with the unrealistic, traditional porn narrative that tends to centre around male pleasure. Ethical porn often prioritizes authenticity, emotional connection, and mutual pleasure, aligning more closely with what many female viewers are after.’

That said, the full picture may not be as hopeful as it seems. ‘While the demand is increasing, ethical porn still remains fairly niche, and quite often it requires extra work from consumers, such as seeking out smaller platforms, paying for services and resisting the more mainstream options,’ Knight says.