Experts slam America's disgusting obsession with INCEST amid signs up to half of all porn consumed in US is 'family themed'

Experts have slammed America's obsession with incest porn, as data suggests inter-family-themed videos are becoming one of the most popular genres of adult material.

The country's largest pornographic website revealed that in 2023, videos that included step-relatives or MILFs — a vulgar slang word for a mother one finds sexually attractive — were among its most popular search terms.

Meanwhile, an analysis of porn habits by the Danish sex toy company BedBible said half of videos uploaded to porn websites were now incestuous.

Psychologists tell DailyMail.com that porn addiction is so rampant that people must watch increasingly taboo material to get the same excitement.

But it comes against a backdrop of rising concern about the frightening extent of incest in America - which estimates say could affect up to one in seven families.

The above is a snap of a thumbnail for a video on Pornhub. It claims to show a stepmother sleeping with her stepson in a hotel room. DailyMail.com found many videos in a similar vein after reviewing pornography sites

The three biggest US porn sites had designated categories for incest-related videos - sometimes known as 'step fantasy'

The above map shows the alleged incest hotspots, according to the World Population Review

DailyMail.com browsed the homepages of three popular adult websites and was immediately bombarded with disturbing videos like 'mom sleeps with son' and 'I had sex with my hot half-sister'.

All three sites had designated categories for incest-related videos — sometimes known as 'step fantasy'.

Dr Peter Kanaris, a psychologist and sex therapist in Long Island, told DailyMail.com: 'If something is forbidden, it is therefore much more exciting.

'The initial interest in incest porn is taboo so, therefore, that increases the excitation around it.

19 states where you can still marry your cousin - despite health risks 

Despite known health risks of inbreeding, marriages between first cousins are still permitted in 19 states and DC [shown]. The Whittaker family, shown here, is the most famous inbred family in the US. 

'America also has a less open society [when it comes to discussing sex] than other countries.

'That's because we are dealing with religion and a series of inhibitions there that only heighten the interest in the taboo.'

Therapist and sex and relationship expert Dr Ian Kerner also said incest-themed porn was rising due to its 'novelty'.

'It's an expression of our broad psychological need for novelty,' he said.

'Sex is about getting aroused. Arousal is excitation.

'So many sexual scenarios have become normalized that it only makes sense that we continue to seek out the forbidden fruit.

'Incest remains one of the few last taboos and so it makes sense that it's such a popular source of fantasy and psychological excitation.'

Incestuous behavior is nearly universally taboo across cultures around the world.

This is partially driven by disgust people feel around the topic, and also concerns over how it would disrupt family dynamics and the risks of genetic problems — with children born to closely-related parents at higher risk of genetic defects.

Incest has also often been linked to the sexual abuse of children, or of parents towards their offspring.

Incestuous behavior has also recently appeared in pop culture, with shows such as Game of Thrones having two main characters — Jamie and Cersei Lannister — who are twins but also in a sexual relationship.

This may have increased interest in the subject, according to the experts.

The above image depicts three members of the Whittakers, who are claimed to be America's most inbred family

A portrait of the 'blue' Fugate family depicted by artist Walt Spitzmiller for a 1982 edition of the Science journal. The family became blue after becoming inbred, reports suggest

Experts repeatedly say that many of the people watching these clips have no intention of carrying out incest in real life.

But studies suggest there is a frightening amount of incest in the US — with up to 15 percent of families having suffered from incestuous events.

Dr David Lawson, a therapist in Texas who works with sex abuse victims, told DailyMail.com the actual figure was 'likely higher'.

'They're probably conservative estimates,' he said, 'because these things are not things people tend to report'.

In a book on the subject, titled Healing the Incest Wound: Adult Survivors in Therapy, Dr Christine Courtois said prevalence among women put incest at as high as 20 percent of all American families — although this prediction is now 40 years old. 

But a review of hundreds of studies by a sexual health company earlier this month estimated that 15 percent of US families have had an 'incest event.'

The results are from an analysis by the sexual health company BedBible, rather than a university or research team, and the methodology has not been made public.

There are no firm estimates for incest cases in the US because it often involves sexual abuse against a child and goes unreported.

But the new figure is not entirely out of sync with other estimates.

An estimated 32 million Americans are reported to have been the victims of incest as a child, yet just 20 percent of incest victims report the crime to law enforcement, according to the report. 

Despite taboos, incest remains legal in 19 US states — where two first cousins are still permitted to marry. These mostly fall on the coasts and in the South.

One person who found out the disturbing truth about her family history was 39-year-old Victoria Hill, who at a high school reunion, got chatting about family trees with an ex-boyfriend with whom she was once intimate.

His family makeup was similar to hers and he said he would take the same test as her.

A text he sent later confirmed what both had feared, reading: 'You're my sister.' Ms Hill says she is still traumatized to this day.

Incestual relationships seem to be more common in areas that tend to be more remote from larger metropolises. Around half of adults who carry out incest have been found to be unemployed.