Should There Be Sex Toys in the Santa Stockings?

"Most of us received minimal, awkward, or fear-based sex education. We had to learn in small, fragmented ways, like ripping open the sealed section of a Dolly magazine or attempting to find things out from our peers (who were honestly just as clueless as we were). Pleasure was rarely, if ever, discussed and our bodies were seen as problems we needed to fix or manage."

"The adolescent brain is still wiring the systems responsible for impulse control, emotional regulation, rewards, motivations and long-term decision-making. Dopamine-driven reward systems are especially sensitive during adolescence. So repeated exposure to guaranteed high-intensity pleasure has the potential to shape expectations around the effort required and one's tolerance level for engagement that is neutral or awkward (which the average sexual encounter has plenty of!)."

"Sex toys are advertised openly. Influencers frame orgasms as self-care and sex positivity has never been more mainstream. In many ways, this is progress. Research shows that shame-based silence around sex is linked to higher rates of distress, difficulties in communicating needs, and poorer relationship satisfaction in adulthood (Brotto, 2018; Mitchell et al., 2014). But is there a downside? With everything becoming instantaneous and a resistance growing to anything that takes time and effort,"

A question arose about the appropriate age to consent to a child's request for a sex toy. Many adults experienced minimal, awkward, or fear-based sex education and lacked conversations about pleasure. Sex toys and sex-positive messaging are now mainstream, and research links shame-based silence to greater distress, poorer communication of needs, and lower adult relationship satisfaction. The adolescent brain remains under development, with dopamine-sensitive reward systems and immature impulse control. Repeated exposure to guaranteed high-intensity pleasure could recalibrate expectations and reduce tolerance for neutral or awkward sexual encounters. Parents must weigh sex-positive values against potential developmental risks when deciding.

Read at Psychology Today