Home > Life > Sex, Dating & Relationships

Sex, Dating & Relationships

A couple underneath the sheets with their feet hanging out.
I've reviewed *a lot* of sex toys. Here are the Black Friday sex toy deals I recommend.
pornhub logo on computer screen
Pornhub asked tech platforms to enable device-level age verification
onlyfans logo on computer screen
OnlyFans to require criminal background checks through controversial screener
woman's crying face with screens of facial features superimposed on top
'Spicy' AI chatbot and image generator left millions of photos exposed
two people sitting down at a chess table and smiling
Gen Z daters want deeper connections, but some use AI to date, Hinge reports
grindr logo
Grindr and other gay dating apps down

Meet Our Experts

Rachel Thompson, sits wearing a dress with yellow florals and black background.
Rachel Thompson
Features Editor

Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.

A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.

Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.

anna iovine, a white woman with curly chin-length brown hair, smiles at the camera
Anna Iovine
Associate Editor, Features
 

Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky.

Sex, Dating & Relationships

illustration of hookup app icons on a phone screen
The best hookup apps, reviewed: I swiped until my thumb hurt
Cuffing season is here! The best dating apps for serious relationships, reviewed.
What are parasocial relationships?
I've reviewed *a lot* of sex toys. Here are the Black Friday sex toy deals I actually recommend.
Age-verification laws don't keep minors away from adult sites, study suggests
illustration of two women meeting at a bar The best dating apps can cure your app fatigue. So I put them to the test.
illustration of two men on a date The best gay dating apps of 2025: Grindr is still king, even if we wish it weren't
two people sitting in a coffee shop The best dating apps for introverts who prefer books to bars
two gamers clinking glasses From Comic-Con to committed — the best dating apps for every kind of nerd
illustration of woman giving flowers to another woman Grindr for lesbians? Here are the best dating apps for LGBTQ women.

Best Products

couples watching a movie 10 free dating apps to try for cuffing season 2025
illustration of a woman in her underwear scrolling through a life-size phone. The best sexting apps for discreet NSFW chats
illustration of man looking at dating app screens The 9 best dating apps for men who are tired of being alone
a woman looking at her phone with heart eyes The top 11 dating apps for women who want real connections
blurry pixelated close-up of browser bar that reads 'sex' Forget Pornhub: These are the best NSFW dating sites for real encounters
illustration of middle-aged singles on a date playing mini golf Single after 40? These are the dating apps you need to be on in 2025.
illustrated older couple walking on the beach Your next chapter starts here: The best senior dating sites for finding love
illustration of two people sitting on a bong Forget Tinder, these 420-dating apps are way more chill
couple sitting at a table 5 best dating apps for single parents, and 1 to avoid
two people looking at dating app screen Unicorn hunters, swipe left: The best dating apps for bi people

Reviews

Screenshots of the pure dating app. I spent a month on Pure. It was hot, weird, and way better than Bumble.
maude vibe mini below a ruler. it's three and a half inches long Maude's new vibe mini is a sleek yet adorable vibrator
illustration of two people under the covers in bed with clothes strewn around the room AdultFriendFinder review: Is the hookup site legit or a scam?
Bumble Premium's interface Is Bumble Premium worth it? I tried it for 2 months to find out.
screenshots of tinder platinum Is Tinder Platinum worth it? I tried it for 3 months to find out.
illustrated man and woman sitting at a table drinking coffee Zoosk review: Easy to sign up, but that's where its usefulness starts and ends
illustration of two people eyeing each other on the sidewalk while swiping through dating apps on their phones OkCupid review: An algorithmic site for millennials who find social activism sexy
photo of purple luna massage wand The Ava Vivv wand is the best vibrator under $30
micro magic wand next to a pair of keys The Magic Wand Micro is tiny, mighty, and pricey
purple thrusting dildo lying on bed sheets Self-thrusting dildos are here, and I tried them

Deals

red eye mask on a bed PSA: It's National Sex Toy Day (and yes, that's a great excuse to buy a new vibrator)
Hand of woman holding sex toy in bed Lovehoney just dropped early Black Friday deals up to 50% off — here's why you should shop there instead of Amazon
Satisfyer sex toys against a purple background. I'm wary of buying sex toys on Amazon, but this last-chance Satisfyer deal is too good to ignore
In this photo illustration a XNXX.COM logo seen displayed on a smartphone How to unblock Xnxx for free with VPN
Woman reaching for bullet vibrator. Sex toy brands have deals on a very specific type of product this August
Phone in hand How to unblock Xnxx for free in any location
Lit up keyboard How to unblock porn for free
Three bullet vibrators are lined up against a gradient background of pastel blues, pinks, and oranges. The vibrators have a smooth, metallic base and a textured, rounded head. The best National Orgasm Day deals from Le Wand, Lovers, Zumio, and more
Phone in hand How to unblock Xnxx, without spending anything
A feature image for Prime Day showing a variety of sex toys, including a purple LELO g-spot vibrator, a Tracy's Dog purple vibrator, and a plusOne vibrating bullet, on a vibrant orange and purple background with the words "prime day." I review sex toys for a living. These are the only Prime Day deals actually worth your money.

News

wedding couple kissing over cake with 'AI' looming over them Inside the new wedding trend: brides getting advice from ChatGPT
A laptop keyboard and Hinge logo displayed on a phone screen How to refresh your Hinge account
Closeup of a man using a smartphone in the dark I tried Sniffies and it made getting laid as a gay man almost too easy
three 'x' keys, nail polished finger clicking one of them Adult industry leaders like Pornhub form a coalition and release code of conduct
Black woman in pink oufit holding a microphone, standing next to Black man in black shirt Viral YouTube show ‘Pop the Balloon’ is becoming a dating app
Pornhub on screen How to unblock Pornhub for free in Italy
a woman in a bathroom looking at the joii evaluation pads A new AI-powered app measures period blood volume
screenshot of rule34dle on a computer screen Rule34dle is a game that mashes up Wordle and smutty cartoon art
Rama Duwaji and Zohran Mamdani at a podium Hinge users complain it 'isn't the same' app Mamdani met his wife on
2020 photo of employees working at the BlueCity headquarters in Beijing Apple removes popular gay dating apps from China's App Store

More Sex, Dating & Relationships

All the states Pornhub is blocked in now
By Anna Iovine
Pornhub logos displayed on a smartphone screen and on a computer screen
Former OnlyFans CEO's next app is coming — and it allows topless pics
By Anna Iovine
stills of vylit app
Tinder is testing an AI matching feature called Chemistry
By Anna Iovine
A finger points at Tinder logo on a smartphone screen.
Pornhub officially launches its scrollable vertical video feed
By Anna Iovine
pornhub logo on smartphone held by hand
How to unblock Pornhub for free in Arizona
By Joseph Green
The Pornhub logo appears on a smartphone screen
Job hunters are using dating apps to network, survey reports
By Anna Iovine
screen with icons of tinder, okcupid, jaumo, lovoo, badoo, hinge, bumble, and yoomee
All the states and countries that have age-verification laws (so far)
By Anna Iovine
uk age verification screen on pornhub website
How long does it take to get over a breakup?
By Rachel Thompson
Red heart balloon floating in air while attached to a string on a pink background with with a scissor about to let it go
'I matched with my ex on a dating app.' How to navigate exes while swiping.
By Rachel Thompson
A hand holds an iphone and on the screen is a zombie-esque figure
Reputation is the new dating currency when everyone's keeping receipts
By Tom Stroud
A composite illustration showing a person scrolling in bed with the "Are We Dating The Same Guy" Facebook group on their phone screen.
All your Bumble questions, answered
By Anna Iovine
bumble logo on a smart phone
How the internet shaped Gen Z's relationship to sex
By Maya Walsh-Little
person with headphones on lying down and staring at phone
Tinder to require facial recognition scans for new U.S. users
By Anna Iovine
screenshots of tinder face check
70 percent of Gen Z men say porn was first exposure to sex
By Anna Iovine
woman and man embracing with sensitive content warning overlayed
What is consensual non-monogamy?
By Anna Iovine
backs of four people with their hands in each others' back pockets taking a selfie together
Kim Kardashian’s pubic hair thong ad exposes Instagram’s double standards
By Anna Iovine
kim kardashian in a gray skims suit
Viral Hinge hack to escape 'Rose Jail' isn't worth it
By Chance Townsend
A woman holds a smartphone on which the dating apps Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid and Hinge are displayed
Is Grindr XTRA worth paying $14.99 a week? I did, and I only regret it a little.
By Tyler Schoeber
close-up of thumb hanging over grindr app on phone screen
All your Hinge questions, answered
By Anna Iovine
hinge logo displayed horizontally on a smartphone
My ghoster apologized to me. Here's what they had to say.
By Anna Iovine
person in ghost costume wearing sunglasses saying sorry. they sit on top of a smartphone
Should Taylor Swift be calling herself a 'showgirl'?
By Anna Iovine
taylor swift in color surrounded by other showgirls in black and white
Viral TikTok 'porn analyst' Devanteyaps lives with no shame
By Chance Townsend
composite image of black man in bath robe
Why Pornhub won't be blocked in Ohio
By Anna Iovine
hand holding phone with pornhub logo on it
Dating app launches feature to ask whether users want to see nudes
By Anna Iovine
side profiles of two people with hily consent guard pop-up 'Mark wants to send you explicit messages You will only see them if you consent' with buttons to decline or consent
How to get over a crush
By Anna Iovine
sad woman checking her phone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!