Hooked on cybersex

An estimated 4.6 million daily Internet users may end up having more sex with a mouse than a person, according to a study published in a leading psychology journal. A whopping 4.6 million of the estimated 57 million people who use the Internet daily could become hooked on cybersex, said Dr. Alvin Cooper, the study_s lead author and director of the San Jose Marital and Sexuality Centre. Cooper, whose study is being published by the American Psychological Association in the April issue of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, said the Internet has spawned a sexual revolution with more than 9 million people visiting erotic Web sites daily, sending suggestive e-mail or joining sexual chat rooms. Fifteen to 30 percent of the on-line population goes to sexual Web sites, and sex is the most popular on-line search topic, he said. Cooper_s study analyzed 9,177 of the 13,000 Internet users who responded. According to Cooper, 86 percent of those responding to the Internet survey were men. The survey was conducted over a three-week period beginning in January. Cooper said 8.5 percent of the study_s participants searched for sexual material on line for more than 11 hours a week, generally leading to serious problems in their lives. Most of these people demonstrated signs of 'sexual compulsivity,' or a very high on-line sex drive, Cooper said. About 47 percent of his sample spent less than 60 minutes a week on line for sexual activities. They demonstrated no sexual difficulties in life, Cooper said.