'We Used To Collect ₹100 To Watch P**n, Felt Nothing Was Better Than It': Chetan Bhagat On Its Negative Impact On Mental Health

Author and screenwriter Chetan Bhagat, who recently released his novel 12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story, revealed that he does not consume pornography, even for research purposes, citing its negative impact on mental health.

Chetan Bhagat Says Porn Can Harm Mental Health

Speaking to The Lallantop, Chetan said that several studies have shown that consuming pornography can be harmful, affecting the brain's dopamine circuits similarly to alcohol and cigarettes. He said, "It can become addictive and can lead to mental health problems and low-level depression. So, I don't consume porn. But as a young person in college, when I was in college, aise lagta tha isse better koi cheez hi nahi hai. Back then, we were forcibly controlled because we didn’t have devices."

Chetan Bhagat Recalls Watching Porn Out Of Curiosity

When asked how he avoided consuming pornography, Bhagat stated that back in the day, they didn’t have any devices to watch it. He said, "Humare hostel mein paise hote nahi the, ek raat ke liye VCR hire kiya VHS, CD se bhi pehle, toh usme Rs 100 do toh usme aapko de kar jata tha. 20 ladke, Rs 5-5 de kar, ek raat ke liye hire karte the, saare milke dekhte the. "

However, he admitted that he would watch out of curiosity, and that he was not constantly exposed to it, unlike people today who have easy access on their phones all the time, which he considers very 'dangerous.'

When Chetan Bhagat Opposed Porn Ban

However, a few years ago, he stated that while pornography can have harmful effects, he opposed the ban on moral, legal, social, practical, and political grounds, adding how a ban on porn makes no sense in a free society.