Editing Sex toy (section)

==Health, safety, and privacy concerns==

Standards set for sex toys are set in [[ISO 3533]]:2021. The sex toys are sold as novelty items so they do not need to adhere to certain regulations such as reporting the chemicals and materials used in a product. Due to this status, manufacturers are not responsible if their toys are used for any other purpose than being a novelty.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Safety Dance: Sex Toy Safety for a New Generation|url=http://kinseyconfidential.org/safety-dance-sex-toy-safety-generation/|publisher=www.kinseyconfidential.org|access-date=25 June 2015|date=12 February 2014|archive-date=8 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808082215/http://kinseyconfidential.org/safety-dance-sex-toy-safety-generation/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Regulations such as [[Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals|REACH]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://echa.europa.eu/regulations/reach|title=REACH - ECHA|access-date=18 August 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160724051550/http://echa.europa.eu/regulations/reach|archive-date=24 July 2016}}</ref> do exist, and some sex toys may be compliant to this though, despite that there is no obligation for manufacturers on attaining compliance.  A 2006 study conducted by the [[Greenpeace]] Netherlands office found high level of [[phthalate]]s in seven out of eight plastic sex toys tested.<ref>[http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/toxics/bad-vibrations-we-expose-an-eu-sex-scandal Bad vibrations? We expose an EU sex scandal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514001824/http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/toxics/bad-vibrations-we-expose-an-eu-sex-scandal |date=2008-05-14 }} Posted by bex (8 September 2006)Greenpeace UK</ref> Phthalates are chemical plasticizers that are added as softeners, to create the malleable and soft effect that many look for in sex toys.<ref name="kinseyconfidential.org" />

Sex toys are classified as novelties in the United States because the [[Food and Drug Administration]] has extensive testing and financial requirements in order for sex toys to be classified as medical devices. Therefore, sex toy manufacturers more often choose less complex production by labeling them a novelty, where their listed ingredients do not have to be accurate in chemical composition or percentage of ingredients.  Due to the novelty classification, sex toys may contain toxins such as phthalates, which have been banned in children's toys by the [[U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|CPSC]].<ref name="kinseyconfidential.org">{{cite web|url=http://kinseyconfidential.org/safety-dance-sex-toy-safety-generation/|title=The Safety Dance: Sex Toy Safety for a New Generation - Kinsey Confidential|access-date=18 August 2016|archive-date=8 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808082215/http://kinseyconfidential.org/safety-dance-sex-toy-safety-generation/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Phthalates|url=http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Phthalates-Information/|publisher=www.cpsc.gov|access-date=25 June 2015}}</ref>

Before using a sex toy, owners should take precautions.  One should check for tears, rough seams or cracks  that could harm the inside of the vagina or anus.  Condoms should also be used on porous sex toys and sex toys that are being shared between two or more partners. They should also use appropriate lubricants; silicone lube will break down silicone toys, and oil-based lubes will break down latex condoms.<ref name=brownedu>{{cite web|title=Sex Toys|url=http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/sexual_health/sexuality/sex_toys.php/|publisher=[[Brown University]]|access-date=25 June 2015}}</ref>

With the rise of smart sex toys, so did concerns surrounding unwanted tracking or hacking that could occur due to database and API issues.<ref name="Onion Dildonics">{{Cite magazine |last=Burgess |first=Matt |date=2018-02-03 |title=Smart dildos and vibrators keep getting hacked – but Tor could be the answer to safer connected sex |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/sex-toy-bluetooth-hacks-security-fix |access-date=2018-02-09 |magazine=Wired UK |quote=Connected sex toys are gathering huge amounts of data about our most intimate moments. Problem is, they're always getting hacked. Welcome to the emerging field of Onion Dildonics.}}</ref> In 2016, the [[security software]] company [[Trend Micro]] demonstrated that some Internet-connected electronic sex toys are vulnerable to [[cyberattack]]s,<ref>{{cite news |author=Caroline Copley |date=15 March 2016 |title=Your Sex Toys Could Be Vulnerable To Cyberattack |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sex-toy-cyberattack_us_56e82b02e4b065e2e3d74bb5 |work=Huffington Post |location=Hanover, Germany |agency=Reuters}}</ref> thus creating the field of [[Tor hidden services|onion dildonics]].<ref name="Onion Dildonics" /> The ethical, legal, and [[privacy]] concerns are an area of active research by [[Sarah Jamie Lewis]], amongst others. She warns that sex toys are just as vulnerable to [[malware]] as any other device, so manufacturers and companies should be more transparent about their data collection policies in order to protect users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Daniel |date=2017-05-24 |title=The law isn't ready for the internet of sexual assault |url=https://www.engadget.com/2017-05-24-sextech-hacking-laws.html |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Engadget |language=en-US}}</ref>