Your Vibrator Is Less Regulated Than a Teddy Bear

🧸 A teddy bear for a one-year-old must meet at least five safety standards before it can be sold in Australia. Vibrators, on the other hand, have no such requirements. In this episode, we look at the rules for children's toys compared to those for vibrators and dildos, and explore why sex toy regulation is an overlooked women's health issue.

⚖️ We compare how Australia, the US, EU, and UK handle sex toy regulations. Why Australia has no mandatory chemical limits or lab testing for sex toys, how the "therapeutic claim trapdoor" lets the industry dodge TGA oversight by never mentioning health, why "medical grade" is the sex toy equivalent of "all natural," and how the EU caps phthalates at 0.1% by law.

🧬 We discuss why no study has ever measured how much phthalate a person absorbs from an inserted toy and the limited research about phthalates, heavy metals like cadmium, and what's still untested, from silicone to jelly to TPE.

🦠 What about hygiene? HPV DNA can be found on porous toys even after cleaning. We talk through the link between shared and uncleaned toys and bacterial vaginosis, and 18,500 vibrator injuries in US emergency departments over two decades. Plus connected toys, data privacy, and the hacked app cases.

🛒 Learn which materials to favour, red flags for plasticisers, how to clean and store your toys, what to ask brands, and how to report an unsafe product to the ACCC (or your local equivalent) so the regulation conversation actually moves.

All references are in the full article available on my Substack and Patreon.

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