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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Husband ick and porn/youtube

61 replies

Dropthatdonkey · 24/08/2025 07:47

So we’ve been together 10 years, married 1. Both early 50s with late teen/grown children and living together. He’s great in so many ways - fair with housework, money, reliable, no real vices, hobbies in reasonable proportion etc. Sex life is good and active.
We have previously discussed porn briefly and I’d assumed he might use it but I guess thought lightly and during dry spells as he downplayed it a lot.
He came down from a bath a few weeks back were he always takes his iPad and we went to look at house finances and a porn page was open as he went to look for something. He looked panicked but pretended he wasn’t. I felt very uncomfortable and tried to explain it left me feeling odd as he’s literally just said he was too tired for sex that night and like I said I didn’t know he was a regular user. He swore blind it was from weeks ago and he mustn’t of shut tab. We moved past it but yes I didn’t forget and it left a bit of a ? Over what he watches on iPad and does in bath…
Then the other night he was chilling in bed before me with iPad and headphones on and as I went to ask him something I realised he’s watching a reactions YouTuber video - the sort with a pretty 20 something scantily clad but nothing obscene. I googled her and nothing too awful comes up but she is clearly making money by old men mostly sending her ‘gifts’ for her reactions videos. She has no onlyfans thankfully but discord etc. He said she was just a YouTube video that popped up in his feed. How much he loves me etc etc and would never cheat. I have no idea if he’s ever gifted anything and on the surface I’d say he’s far too sensible with money for that but obviously I didnt even know he watched these vids. Maybe it was a one off and did genuinely just pop up in his YouTube feed … maybe it’s a regular, I’ll never know.
Problem is i now feel all disconnected from him. I think he thinks it knocks my self esteem - it doesn’t really though yes it’s not great. So his reassuring he loves me only goes so far to help. The fact is it’s given me a bit of an ick for him and makes me think of him as a sad dirty old man. Every time I see him on iPad I wonder what he’s watching and feel a bit grim about it. The girl was about same age as his eldest. Not a kid but mid 20s and we are 50s!
We are due to go on a romantic break and I just feel like I can’t even be bothered talking to him let alone having sex. I just feel like I don’t really know him and now don’t trust him or feel at all close or loving. I’m downplaying it with him as I wanted time to process without him constantly declaring his love etc. But for me I feel so different when I look at him at the moment and am avoiding him. In some ways it’s only 2 small instances but yet it’s opened a can of worms of what else does he look at and what’s going on in his head.
Aibu?
If so how do I stop feeling like this?

OP posts:
Ohlifelife · 24/08/2025 08:08

Personally if I knew my H was watching porn and getting his sexual gratification from.women young enough to be his daughter when he was supposedly in a monogamous marriage with me I wouldnt get over it. I would have no respect for him.

Tidekiln · 24/08/2025 08:08

For all the good the internet brings it's a shame all the bad that comes of it too. Relationships never had to deal with all these challenges before it existed. My dad is in his 70s and I accidentally noticed porn tabs on his phone one day. I just assumed my dad didnt watch it, dont know why, but it was a reminder that he is a man not a saint. Porn, only fans, strip clubs, influencers all exist and with the intention of drawing men in to ultimately get money from them.

If you dont want him looking at it then you will need to be clear with him.

JacquesHarlow · 24/08/2025 08:10

Tidekiln · 24/08/2025 08:08

For all the good the internet brings it's a shame all the bad that comes of it too. Relationships never had to deal with all these challenges before it existed. My dad is in his 70s and I accidentally noticed porn tabs on his phone one day. I just assumed my dad didnt watch it, dont know why, but it was a reminder that he is a man not a saint. Porn, only fans, strip clubs, influencers all exist and with the intention of drawing men in to ultimately get money from them.

If you dont want him looking at it then you will need to be clear with him.

Such a wonderful post - reminds me that AIBU can be a useful place amongst all the baiting

DontStopMeNowGoodTime · 24/08/2025 08:16

It's not OK that he rejected sex but then watched porn. I don't think you need to stop feeling the way you do, porn is grim.

Trepidfox · 24/08/2025 08:24

Porn is a slippery slope but don't forget its also just another way for content creators and websites to keep you scrolling and can be very addictive. It's the attention olympics and all of these sites will be monitoring his algorithm and keeping him scrolling.

It may be that the bath thing is now a fully formed habit and before long it will creep in further. You will get a few 'porn is fine' comments but not everyone feels the same and if that's a boundary crossed for you, he needs to know it and respect it.

I'll admit I watched porn when I was younger and thought it was harmless but I soon learned a very high percentage of women are trafficked and underage and under duress on these sites and it truly made me resolve that's it a horrid industry and I want no part of it in my life.

He's still your husband, but he's gone down a rabbit hole and needs a reality check. Hopefully you can both get past this and continue having a healthy relationship

Dropthatdonkey · 24/08/2025 08:36

Tidekiln · 24/08/2025 08:08

For all the good the internet brings it's a shame all the bad that comes of it too. Relationships never had to deal with all these challenges before it existed. My dad is in his 70s and I accidentally noticed porn tabs on his phone one day. I just assumed my dad didnt watch it, dont know why, but it was a reminder that he is a man not a saint. Porn, only fans, strip clubs, influencers all exist and with the intention of drawing men in to ultimately get money from them.

If you dont want him looking at it then you will need to be clear with him.

I do totally get this. We have previously talking about monogamy and our values and sex was and apparently still is something we both agreed was only between us.
I would not object to occasional use in a dry spell type thing. I guess it’s the casual porn/youtuber use I dislike. The fact he seems to have been watching it as light relief and not just as a dry spell type functional thing feels like something I just didn’t know about him. I got so used to him watching his hobby stuff YouTubers and music vids it just never occurred to me he’d be sitting there watching that in our bed or the bath. I see his iPad now and think of all the hours he watches it and now think how many hours are spent on porn/girl YouTubers. It could be almost 0 hours or lots. But the fact it’s occurred twice in relatively short space of time with no sex or relationship issues does concern me. I hate those guys who watch porn on their phone on trains or buses as if it’s just a way to kill a bit of time. Read a book for gods sake! I’m not saying my husband is like this but then I genuinely thought he was in the bath watching cycling videos!
Don’t worry I will talk to him again. I just don’t know how to quite explain my issues and what it is exactly I want. I want him to be the man I thought he was I guess and to not be doubting what he’s watching on his iPad now…

OP posts:
InterestedDad37 · 24/08/2025 08:38

He was absolutely watching porn and having a wank in the bath, and the only thing that'll stop him is dropping his iPad in the water.
Everyone has fantasies, and many people get off on looking at something that turns them on. It can coexist with a healthy relationship.
(I am aware, of course, that the porn industry is founded on all kinds of misogyny and hurt.)

TheGrimSmile · 24/08/2025 08:39

You feel like this for a reason. It's fucking grim. Yes, loads of men do it blah, blah, blah but it's still fucking grim. Everyone has their own standards but I'm not sure I could get past it.

Dropthatdonkey · 24/08/2025 08:55

InterestedDad37 · 24/08/2025 08:38

He was absolutely watching porn and having a wank in the bath, and the only thing that'll stop him is dropping his iPad in the water.
Everyone has fantasies, and many people get off on looking at something that turns them on. It can coexist with a healthy relationship.
(I am aware, of course, that the porn industry is founded on all kinds of misogyny and hurt.)

Yep that’s my thinking! I’m guessing from user name you might be a man and it’s great to get that perspective
Two things that really troubled me is that he seemed to chose to use porn in bath when sex was clearly an option. He denied this like I say and swore blind it was an old tab and he hadn’t just had a wank in bath that night.
also that he is watching YouTube reaction videos from a girl that has the discord pay for live interaction monthly plans and options to gift her things like perfume. I have no reason to think he’s been on discord and I know that YouTube now is just full of so called influencers that are really only platforms to push people to onlyfans and discord etc so it’s hard not to stumble on them. But still I can’t say I’ve had this issue…
So those 2 things sit very uneasy with me on top of what looks like more porn use than I realised.
I guess I worry it is tip of ice burg and he’s in that rabbit hole - one I certainly don’t want to go down.

OP posts:
InterestedDad37 · 24/08/2025 09:02

Dropthatdonkey · 24/08/2025 08:55

Yep that’s my thinking! I’m guessing from user name you might be a man and it’s great to get that perspective
Two things that really troubled me is that he seemed to chose to use porn in bath when sex was clearly an option. He denied this like I say and swore blind it was an old tab and he hadn’t just had a wank in bath that night.
also that he is watching YouTube reaction videos from a girl that has the discord pay for live interaction monthly plans and options to gift her things like perfume. I have no reason to think he’s been on discord and I know that YouTube now is just full of so called influencers that are really only platforms to push people to onlyfans and discord etc so it’s hard not to stumble on them. But still I can’t say I’ve had this issue…
So those 2 things sit very uneasy with me on top of what looks like more porn use than I realised.
I guess I worry it is tip of ice burg and he’s in that rabbit hole - one I certainly don’t want to go down.

(Yeah, I'm a bloke 👏)
If he's choosing porn over the real thing, we'll, that happens, but it's not healthy. And if he's paying/gifting things, then it's a rocky road (I don't know what 'discord' is though).
So, I think porn use can be a healthy thing for men/women/couples to investigate, but it sounds like his use is starting to be unhealthy.
Hope you can both make some progress together 👍

Diarygirlqueen · 24/08/2025 09:07

When I pleasure myself its nothing to do with my husband, I love having sex with him. Its a stress reliever and I can focus on myself. Try not to take that part too
personal.

The other stuff im not too sure as I think it would give me the ick as well. Men are definitely different from women! Talk to him as it sounds you have a good marriage, be honest with how you feel.

MightyGoldBear · 24/08/2025 09:10

Hello op
Check out omar minwhalla secret sexual basement and ambiguous grief/helping couples heal podcast. You might not fully relate to all of it and that's fine but it might help you put into words or to show your partner what you feel.

He Downplayed or hid a part of himself. You now discovering this has altered your reality and view of him. It's also taken away your informed consent. You may feel differently part taking in sex knowing he has just watched pornography beforehand. Or declined sex because he chose to masturbate over other people instead.

Ofcourse thats going to change the relationship. Its not about insecurity. When we agree to a monogamous relationship and think we are both on the same page only to find someone is seeking sexual gratification outside of the relationship. That very logically is going to change things.

It's only society that has said oh its fine if its on a screen or it's at a stag do. None of which I agree with personally.
What's fine and what's not is up to you and your partner. You both need to agree what your relationship is going to look like. You do need honesty though. That might be a skill your partner doesn't have. To be open vunerable and transparent. So if you agree something and he thinks he can just hide the bits he doesn't want you to see then you will need to figure out your boundaries and consequences.

Personally I don't want to be in a relationship with someone who uses porn. Who lies and hides who they are. Who wants to manipulate my reality and my view of them. So whilst society might say oh pornography use is "normal" actually what positives is it bringing to you relationship?

Wish you all the best op.

MightyGoldBear · 24/08/2025 09:20

The discord (has he actually been on it?) and youtube reels does suggest tip of the iceberg stuff especially the watching as entertainment rather than for intentioned masturbation.

I'd highly reccomend Chris jones therapy who can support him. No harm done if its a none issue but always worth investigating and getting the right appropriate help.

Ablondiebutagoody · 24/08/2025 09:28

I think that he's allowed to have a wank when too tired for sex

Vera87 · 24/08/2025 09:34

I really don’t have an issue if my husband had a wank to porn. Masturbating is natural and porn can be part of it.

Anna467 · 24/08/2025 09:58

Sex is completely different to a wank though, even as a woman. Sex is much more effort and needs much more headspace IMO, I can certainly not be bothered with sex at times but be up for just sorting myself out.

I'm definitely not a fan of porn but watch on occasion - I'm in my 50's but I'm not wanting to watch fat, balding middle aged men! Of course he's watching younger women because it's not about love, it's about what looks best and on a purely superficial level people's bodies tend to look much better in their 20's than their 50's.

You can't dictate what he does, but you are free to not like it and choose to leave.

Dropthatdonkey · 24/08/2025 10:11

I’m not sure if it would change people’s opinion to know that when I say good sex life I don’t just mean full sex sessions but opportunity to be simply tired and need a stress release. He didn’t have to perform beyond lying down.
So I see him being tired but choosing to have a wank over porn in the bath as a real choice to be solitary / choose porn etc.

OP posts:
Chiseltip · 24/08/2025 10:19

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Dropthatdonkey · 24/08/2025 10:22

MightyGoldBear · 24/08/2025 09:20

The discord (has he actually been on it?) and youtube reels does suggest tip of the iceberg stuff especially the watching as entertainment rather than for intentioned masturbation.

I'd highly reccomend Chris jones therapy who can support him. No harm done if its a none issue but always worth investigating and getting the right appropriate help.

Thank you I will look at those resources. Hard to know if this is just nothing or tip of ice burg. His reaction of undying love just got my hackles up on top of everything else when I think of it. Something just feels off.

OP posts:
lotsofpatience · 24/08/2025 10:27

You are having sex regularly so just let the guy watch some porn occasionally. It's not the end of the world.

jeaux90 · 24/08/2025 10:27

I would not be with a man who uses porn. Many videos are non consensual, trafficked or underage women. Porn Hub had to take about 80% of its content down for this reason.

Absolutely disgusting he thinks women are a commodity to be consumed.

Just no.

Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 24/08/2025 10:28

You can actually look up what he has watched on his YouTube history. Just fyi..

Dropthatdonkey · 24/08/2025 10:30

This reply has been deleted

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Wow that’s a bit of a leap! I refer to dirty old men as that is what my daughter and friends would call a 50+ year old man looking at a girl in her 20s…
I am naturally far more sexually open than my husband.

ps I am not sure you know what PN is.
Pathological narcissism is a severe mental health condition characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others.
Im not sure how that applies to my post!

OP posts:
Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 24/08/2025 10:32

Ablondiebutagoody · 24/08/2025 09:28

I think that he's allowed to have a wank when too tired for sex

And I agree with this

user1492757084 · 24/08/2025 10:41

Be honest.
Tell him that you have started seeing him as a sad old man.
Tell him you feel his porn habit is very grim and you get the ick.

If he doesn't honestly want to change his ways, as in, really happy to hear you and quit the porn, if I were you, I'd call it quits.
There can be no compromising when he gives you the ick and you have lost all respect.