It originated in 2011 and grew in popularity among male users of social media during and after 2017.
Although No Nut November was originally intended to be satirical, some participants claim that abstaining from ejaculating and not watching pornography has health benefits.
[1][2] An Urban Dictionary entry for No Nut November was published in 2011, and, in 2017, the movement started to gain popularity on social media.
[1] In 2017, a related internet challenge, Destroy Dick December, was started serving as a counterpoint to No Nut November, encouraging participants to take part in excessive amounts of sexual activities such as intercourse and masturbation, after abstaining from them during the previous month.
[1] Vice criticized the challenge in 2018 after adherents sent threats to xHamster on Twitter, similarly saying it had been co-opted by far-right figures.