According to a new survey from sexual wellness data driven agency, Sciart Marketing and sex tech pioneers, Hot Octopuss, 27.8% of people admit to using their phone DURING sex and unfortunately not just to queue up a sexy playlist.
From scrolling adult content (34.3%) to controlling connected toys (21%) the most shocking data revealed that 15.2% even admit to texting during sex, and 5% are answering work emails in the act.
For women that number jumps to 8.3% using phones for work during sex.
A staggering 83% of people have admitted that tech like TVs, phones, and notifications are actively getting in the way of their pleasure and intimate time.
Is this just the result of a culture hooked on digital distraction? In the UK, adults check their smartphones on average every 12 minutes that’s about 80 times per day, spending nearly 3 hours and 30 minutes daily glued to their screens. These constant phone alerts are delivering variable dopamine hits that keep us looking even when we should be focused on each other.
“Technology should heighten pleasure, not hijack it,” says co-founder Adam Lewis at Hot Octopuss. “Use the right device at the right moment and you redirect that dopamine reflex towards intimacy. That’s what Right Tech, Right Time is all about.”
Sexologist April Maria explains: “We’re overstimulated by screens and undernourished by connection. Phones are always within reach even in bed, but rarely used to encourage deeper intimacy. We’re not avoiding sex because we don’t want it. We’re avoiding it because we’ve forgotten how to be present in it”.
She continues “At Hot Octopuss, we’re not anti-tec, we’re pro intentional tech. Our campaign Right Tech, Right Time is a wake-up call: let’s stop letting devices interrupt our desire and start using them to support it. The future of pleasure isn’t more distraction; it’s more connection”.
With up to 60% of men avoiding sex due to performance anxiety (OneBright), and studies showing that sex-related anxiety affects up to 25% of men (PubMed), the last thing they need is another distraction like work emails coming through their phone.
Finally, Adam says “The Right Tech, Right Time campaign challenges consumers to rethink how and when we invite technology into the bedroom. It’s not about unplugging completely, it’s about plugging into the right thing at the right time”
