A recent study has indicated that youth who frequent online sex portals, fetish and swinging sites run a very high risk of getting depressed, besides suffering from anxiety and stress-related disorders.

Those who seek out cyber sex also end up spending quality hours during a day in this covert activity that typically engages a male audience aged between 18-80 who are well educated and working on good salaries.

The survey conducted by by the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne says that these addicts spend between 10-12 hours a week on such sites, usually taking part in cyber sex with webcams, downloading videos and sending erotic mails.

Data showed that more than 65 per cent of those surveyed in the US and Australia said they had met someone online on the very first visit online. The study indicated a very poor rate of mental health with 27 per cent of those surveyed being moderate to severely depressed.

And the more heavily they engaged in online sexual activity, the higher was their level of depression and anxiety, the study indicated.