Infuriating, emasculating and, for some, psychologically debilitating, the curse of erectile dysfunction has traditionally been an affliction of the middle-aged Romeo.

Until now. In a report out today from the BBC, respected psychosexual therapist Angela Gregory says “a surge” of men in their late teens and early 20s are now suffering from the condition – and she lays the blame squarely at the door of online pornography.

"What I've seen over the last 16 years, particularly the last five years, is an increase in the amount of younger men being referred," says Gregory, who practices at Nottingham University Hospital.

“Historically, men that were referred to our clinic with problems with erectile dysfunction were older men whose issues were related to diabetes, MS, and cardio vascular disease. These younger men do not have organic disease. They’ve already been tested by their GP and everything is fine.

“So one of the first assessment questions I'd always ask now is about pornography and masturbatory habit, because that can be the cause of their issues about maintaining an erection with a partner.”