Understanding the Sexual Digital Media Inventory (SDMI)

And the Difference Between SDMI and SDMI (No Minors)

The Sexual Digital Media Inventory (SDMI) is a comprehensive, clinically validated assessment tool designed to help individuals and their therapists understand patterns of sexual digital media use. “Sexual digital media” includes any online or technology-based sexual content or activity—such as pornography, erotic websites, sexual chat platforms, dating apps, sexualized social media interactions, cam sites, virtual reality sex, or user-generated sexual content.

The SDMI provides an in-depth evaluation across multiple domains of functioning, giving therapists a detailed snapshot of how a person’s digital sexual behavior is impacting their emotional well-being, relationships, sexual health, daily functioning, and overall quality of life. The assessment can illuminate areas such as:

• Frequency, intensity, and compulsivity of digital sexual behaviors

• Avoidance patterns, isolation, or emotional escape

• Mutations of sexual interests related to prolonged pornography use

• Impacts on mood, concentration, motivation, and daily responsibilities

• Influence on romantic or sexual relationships, including intimacy or sexual performance concerns

• Risk behaviors, secrecy, boundary issues, or crossover into high-risk content

• Strengths and protective factors that support healthy sexual functioning

Why This Assessment would be recommended

The SDMI accelerates the clinical process by offering a full, structured profile of how digital sexual media is used and experienced—information that might otherwise take weeks of therapeutic exploration to uncover. For individuals seeking help for compulsive pornography use, problematic online sexual behavior, infidelity-related digital activity, or sexual self-regulation issues, the SDMI provides clarity, language, and direction for treatment.

SDMI vs. SDMI (No Minors): What’s the Difference?

There are two versions of the Sexual Digital Media Inventory. Both are clinical tools, but they differ in scope and the types of questions included.

1. SDMI (Standard Version)

The standard SDMI includes all domains of digital sexual media use, including items related to sexual content involving minors.

This does not assume or imply illegal behavior—it simply screens for any exposure, accidental or intentional, and measures risk, curiosity, or boundary-related concerns. This is critical for certain clinical populations (e.g., forensic clients, individuals with past legal involvement, or those in specialized treatment programs).

Because it contains items related to minors, the standard SDMI is not appropriate for all therapy settings and typically requires:

• Clear informed consent

• Specialized clinical training

• Awareness of state-specific mandated reporting laws

2. SDMI (No Minors)

The SDMI (No Minors) version removes all items referencing sexual content involving minors. It is the appropriate tool for:

• General outpatient therapy

• Addiction treatment programs

• Couples therapy settings

• Clients working on porn use, compulsivity, or sexual functioning

• Non-forensic clinical populations

It focuses exclusively on adult-oriented sexual media, compulsive patterns, relational impacts, and behavioral themes.
Clinicians often use SDMI (No Minors) when assessing:

• Porn addiction or problematic pornography use

• Sexual avoidance or sexual anxiety

• Erectile or orgasmic difficulties tied to digital sexual media

• Relationship conflict involving digital sexual behavior

• Self-esteem, shame, or mood issues linked to porn or digital sex habits

Summary

Both the SDMI and SDMI (No Minors) are powerful tools that help clients and therapists understand digital sexual behavior with depth, accuracy, and nuance. The difference lies solely in whether the assessment screens for content involving minors. For most therapy settings, especially those addressing pornography use, sexual functioning, and relational dynamics, SDMI (No Minors) is the recommended version. The standard SDMI is reserved for specialized cases where a broader risk assessment is clinically necessary.