IT may be an industry worth billions but now a British entrepreneur has become a teenage millionaire by developing an app to help stop porn-obsessed teenagers from viewing X-rated material online.
Alex Slater, 19, was once one of the millions of schoolboys seduced by the sleazy industry, but soon realised it was making him and his friends miserable — so he quit college and developed the Quittr porn abstinence app.
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Within a year, the science-backed programme, which features a special “panic button” for when urges become intense, passed a million downloads from more than 120 countries, and has 150,000 daily active users.
Alex could not be prouder.
He says: “I knew there was a need for this app — I knew it would work.
“It is both for addicts and for those who just want to cut down on porn use.
“The feedback is amazing.
“We are making $500,000 a month, which is mainly profit, and I am about to buy a Lamborghini.
‘Destroying lives’
“I live in a $10million rented house in Miami with my friends, who are also my colleagues.
“Am I living the dream? Yes, I guess I am.
“But the best thing is I know we are helping people every single day.
“The number of under-18s who are prepared to download and pay for Quittr is alarming.
“Half of our subscribers are under 18.
“I have a community where I chat to people about the app, and the number of people who send me thank-you messages rises every day — porn was destroying their lives.”
Some 2.5million people in the UK visit porn sites every second and there’s been a steep rise in porn addiction since the pandemic because more people work from home.
One survey of 14 to 18-year-olds found that in some UK areas, one in ten are addicted to explicit content.
The Government’s Online Safety Act, which became law in July, means more robust age checks have to be carrried out by websites and apps.
In an exclusive interview with the Sun on Sunday, Alex says: “My friends started using porn at 12.
“Now kids get around the restrictions.
“My generation has grown up seeing everything so overly sexualised — you’ve got OnlyFans and Bonnie Blue.
“What starts as fun becomes a scrolling obsession and shameful secret that stops real relationships.
“It affects mental health, increases loneliness, decreases confidence and affects your sex life.
“It isn’t cool, it’s harmful.
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“You don’t know how to chat to real women.
“You’re a loser if you watch porn, but stopping isn’t easy.”
The teenager, who grew up with music producer dad Simon and mum Janice, an artist, in South West London with a younger sibling, taught himself coding and began to develop apps when he was at school.
He quit a college business course after visiting New York and San Francisco and realising he wanted to turn his hobby into a job.
He says: “I went alone aged 17 and saw opportunities.
“I knew I could do much more out of the classroom.
“Looking at what to do next, I realised many things that are normalised are so bad for us, like too much social media, food, alcohol and porn.
“Porn is the hardest to fight as everyone has a phone and it is free.
“I knew it was harmful — so many friends weren’t dating because they had porn in their pocket.
“There are similar apps for older men.
“But younger guys now have a problem they are ashamed of, too.”
Quittr, which helps Gen Z men “regain control” and stop watching porn, was launched with business partner Connor McLaren.
‘It’s a drug’
The 23-year-old had already developed a health app, and kick-started the booming company with £2,200 of his savings.
Alex says: “We met online and realised we both had the same idea for an app like Quittr.”
It costs £29.99 a year and a third of users are British. Subscribers are asked about how they watch porn and how it affects them.
They are told porn is a drug that can destroy relationships, and are asked to make a pledge that they will not watch porn again and recommit to this every day.
They choose goals such as stronger relationships, improved self-control and a better sex life.
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They then track their abstinence.
There is an AI chat function, which offers support and can even block some porn sites.
A “life tree” grows with each positive life choice made instead of watching porn.
This is combined with mindfulness content and exercises to help combat temptation.
Then there is the “panic button” which users press if they are about to relapse. The phone vibrates and the camera springs into action so the user can see their face.
Alex says: “I guess it’s shaming, but it works. Do they want to see a person failing or succeeding?
‘GOOD BUT NO MAGIC BULLET’
IT MANAGER Joseph Tremath-Hutchens, 29, admits that he has an online porn problem.
But Joseph, who lives in Cardiff, still watches up to an hour of porn a night and, though not hooked, admits he is “obsessed”.
He tried Quittr and says: “After a quick sign-up, including a slightly odd question about God, it told me I was ‘dependent on porn’.
“From there it’s a blitz of bright colours, slogan clouds and facts about porn wrecking relationships, emotions and sex drive.
“It then hits you with the hard sell – how it can rewire your brain and keep you motivated.
“There’s a competitive element with a leaderboard.
“A guy called Vincent was top with 329 days clean – I was in 11,936th place.
“I asked the therapist for help several times and got zero response.
“The forum where men share struggles, with some admitting to relapsing after just days, is supportive with breathing exercises, meditations and a library of articles.
“I liked the crackling fire meditation.
“The ‘panic button’ is big, red and dramatic.
“When I pressed it, an alarm went off and a video screen popped up.
“You’re asked about relapsing, while messages about resisting temptation flash up.
“You can earn cash by bringing in new users or creating content.
“It’s good, but no magic bullet.
“You still need willpower.”
“We have a 41 per cent one-year abstinence rate, which is more than triple the average for these apps.
“The forum is growing every day.
“Porn may be taboo, but our subscribers can chat openly and help each other.
“It’s geared towards men but we have female subscribers, too.
“I hop on every day to chat to people even though we have a team to do that now.
“People thank me.
You’re a loser if you watch it but stopping isn’t easy. What starts as fun becomes a shameful secret that affects mental health and your sex life
Alex Slater
“I feel good about setting this up.
“I get criticism because it isn’t free but we use the money to develop more apps to help more people.”
The confident teen — who plans to become Prime Minister — splits his time between the US and UK.
He says: “Not only can you turn your back on porn, but you can be a success story like me — even if you don’t get all your GCSEs.
“I didn’t even turn up to my history exam.
“I knew I was going to be too busy writing history — I didn’t need a qualification in it.”
dear deidre VERDICT
SHAME, depression, skewed attitudes, isolation, failing or non-existent relationships, neglecting family, friends, jobs and interests – the effects of porn addiction are not to be underestimated.
With easy access to online porn, our youths have been able to see hugely addictive content – and the impact has been seismic.
I regularly receive messages from parents, partners and teenage users themselves asking for help with this problem.
Porn sites thrive by hooking users in with increasingly extreme content, to the point where the user pays.
Rising numbers of teens watch porn.
Many young men and women have unrealistic expectations of what sex will be like, as extreme sexual practices are normalised.
This limits their ability to form relationships.
Anyone who is worried about porn use can email me and my team of counsellors for free personalised advice: [email protected].
