The Journal of Sexual Medicine reported in 2009 that more than half of women use a smart female vibrator – either alone or with a partner – and 17% of those were teenagers when tried their first vibrator or sex toy.
Here are just a few reasons as to why you shouldn’t rule out buying your teenager a vibrator.
#1 To Benefit Their Health and Safety
Whether you buy one for them or not, teenagers are going to be experimenting and finding things that pleasure them. Some of which are likely to be harmful.
DIY vibrators and insertable household objects are commonly used. Noticed the cucumbers going missing regularly? Or the electric toothbrush needing more recharging than usual. Some teenagers get really experimental:
“I took an old Braun purple epilator apart and there was a motor thing going side to side. Stuck half a bouncy ball on the other end and bobs your uncle.”
As creative as these are, there can be negative health and safety implications. Not only can they cause bacterial infections, but could also damage the genitals.
Perhaps buying a simple and safe vibrator will save you both an incredibly embarrassing trip to A+E.
So by discussing this with your teenager beforehand, after having done your own well thought out research, you can ensure your teenager is using body safe materials.
Even if they buy their own – probably cheaply made using their pocket money – there are other risks at hand. Under current regulations that perceive vibrators as “novelty items”, the materials that make them are not regulated most of the time.
They can be filled with toxic ingredients such as phthalates which categorically banned from children’s toys. These harmful chemicals can affect your hormones and cause infertility.
Some materials used are porous and if not looked after or cleaned properly can lead to bacterial infections.
#2 Encourages Better Sex Education
In 2014, Britain saw the censoring of female pleasure in porn. Porn is the number one sex educator today and contrary to common belief, teenage girls are watching just as much as teenage boys.
Opening up a conversation around vibrators can allow for a safe environment where teenagers can feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, ask questions or at least know that their pleasure is more worthy than what they see in porn.
How can we expect people to legally have sex from the age of 16 and not have used a toy that can only educate them around how their bodies work.
Reality is, some teenagers will be sexually active before they reach 16. Just because they might not be having penetrative sex, does not mean they are not having other types of sex.
Waiting for a partner, who has also probably learnt about pleasuring a woman from porn – let me reiterate, where there is lacking female pleasure – can leave teenage girls feeling like sex is not a positive thing.
#3 Equal Pleasure
With every 3 orgasms that men enjoy, a woman enjoys 1 – meet the orgasm gap!
Amidst fears that vibrators and sex toys will replace men, in fact they merely encourage blood flow to the clitoris that is so central to female pleasure.
In a society where 25-50% of men and 35% of women are unable to identify the clitoris, vibrators can offer some extra support in levelling the playing field.
Teenage relationships are sensitive things filled with sexual exploration and high emotions. Using vibrators can add a level of excitement and fun to relationships, whereby young girls can demand pleasure on their own terms.
#4 Self Love
Vibrators “are the cherry on top of masturbation, and everyone likes a cherry now and then, it’s not a necessity, but it’s a way of helping you to explore your own sexuality” – Annabelle Knight
Buying a vibrator for your teenager or supporting their right to buy one, is giving them the tools for self love.
So much shame and stigma is attached to female masturbation, that young women experience feelings of guilt and low self-esteem, along with disgust after they touch themselves.
This should instead be a feeling of pure relief and happiness, along with sexual confidence – knowing the incredible things that our bodies can do.
Normalising the use of a vibrator can help to overcome taboo around sexuality from an earlier age and ensure self love and care.
