The COVID-19 pandemic has not been great for people’s sex lives. A Kinsey Institute study on the impact of COVID-19 in marriages found that 24% of married people reported having less frequent sex than before the pandemic. Of course, partnered people weren’t the only ones struggling. A broader survey conducted by Justin Lehmiller found that 43% of participants reported a decline in the quality of their sex lives and that the average frequency of all sexual activity - including solo sex - declined as well.
Whoo. That sounds grim, right? There’s no doubt the pandemic presented an obstacle to sexual pleasure for many people, and for a lot of complex reasons. However, we also know that the pandemic introduced many people to new things, things they may not have tried before (or at least not reached for as much). Like sex toys. And camming. And, of course, porn.