The current climate means physically interacting with your romantic partner or lover, if not in the same residence as yourself, is a thing of the past. The government’s social distancing measures have meant that those of us who do not live with our partners are becoming increasingly sexually frustrated. It is perhaps no surprise that many of us have been looking for alternative ways to entertain ourselves.
So has the current lockdown changed Brits’ sex habits?
Phone sex searches in the UK
On March 13th the UK government issued an official lockdown – asking the general public to self isolate and refrain from making public contact with anyone.
No physical contact has meant that those in a relationship or sexual partnership that have had to stay apart from one another have turned to technology to meet their needs.
Using Google, the number of people searching for ‘phone sex’ in the UK each month averages around 18,000. Interestingly, since the isolation rules were put in place, there has been a noticeable increase in searches for the term ‘phone sex’.
In March and April the number of Google online searches for ‘phone sex’ was around 22,000. In comparison, in January and February online searches for phone sex were at the previously-mentioned average of 18,000. This means that since the lockdown has been implemented, phone sex searches have gone +23%.
The jump in phone sex is not a shock to Good Vibrations staff sexologist Carol Queen PHD, who says that: “Phone sex is really an evergreen erotic experience and a kink (or step along the path of exploration) that most people can easily try. People being separated from one another only makes it more useful, significant, reassuring–and sexy.”
“Also, it can incorporate masturbation and eases sexual need even as it keeps partners connected and offers a safe way to hook up for people whose sex life focuses more on casual partnering.”
So can we really get what we need sexually from phones? According to Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist & Psycho-Sexologist Kate Moyle, “Text and WhatsApp is a great way to flirt and build anticipation – sexual anticipation being one of the most natural aphrodisiac that we have.”
Queen echos this citing that phone sex allows you: “ to explore intimacy in a creative and potentially very deep way, in your mind, voice and hearing, which may be quite different from the physical focus of so much person-to-person sex. It is also extremely safe sex!”
So where in the UK are people looking for phone sex?
The Capital
According to Google search trends, unsurprisingly due to its population size, London sees the most online searches for phone sex with a whopping 2,900 a month search made in March and April. When compared to the previous months (Jan & Feb) searches for phone sex were around 2,400. This means the Capital saw a spike in phone sex searches by +21%.
Other cities
Another big city, Manchester, saw a less noticeable increase, with average monthly searches for phone sex, when comparing pre-lockdown to lockdown months up just +11%. Newcastle saw searches go up +14%, and Sunderland +29%, when comparing phone sex monthly search volumes to pre-lockdown months.
Cities that saw higher demand
Liverpool saw phone sex searches go up a whopping +49% in comparison to pre-lockdown months. Although they have lower search volumes than London, cities like Belfast and Leicester saw more than double the number of online searches for ‘phone sex’ in March and April compared to January and February. During these lockdown months Belfast has gone up +56%, while Leicester a whopping +36%. Sheffield saw phone sex trends shoot up +52% last month. It seems that those in Cambridge are not too posh for dirty talk, as the data revealed that in Cambridge phone sex searches have gone up a whooping +40%.
In Scotland, Edinburgh saw flat numbers drop slightly down -10%. Glasgow however saw phone sex online searches increase by +24%.
When comparing March and April to January and February, Bristol, phone sex searches go up +23%, Bath +33%, and Middlesborough up +29%.
Ipswich saw search trends for phone sex decrease during these lockdowns months compared to the previous months, where the lockdown had not been implemented.
Norwich saw phone sex trends go up +10%. Whereas Brighton saw phone sex searches go up +11%.
So are there any advantages with having phone sex over the real thing? Moyle seems to think so.
According to Moyle,“the benefits are that you can be intimate, together and connected with your partner even when you are not physically together. In the modern world we live in, so much of our lives is managed via technology in some way, and this is just another example.”
The second wave
The resurgence of COVID-19 cases in October 2020 may have further influenced the sex lives of Brits. Interestingly, when analysing phone sex searches in the UK from September to October 2020, the number of searches increased by +22%, showing a hungrier demand for dirty talk.
Although, several cities, individually, had either decreased or increased in searches, with some seeing a larger gap in figures compared to other places. Bath and Middlesborough, for example, saw an increase of +100%, followed by Cambridge with +67%, and Cardiff, Glasgow and Brighton with +50%. London also saw an increase of +26%, Birmingham +23%, and Bristol +21%.
In contrast, Liverpool and Leicester remained the same, while cities like Newcastle and Belfast decreased by -22%, Sheffield -21%, Norwich and Sunderland -20%, and Manchester -19%.
Among all the UK cities, London, who bore the brunt of the virus’s impact at the start of the pandemic, still saw the highest figure of increases in phone sex searches during this short period.
With dirty talk becoming an even more growing trend in the current climate, if you have ever thought about becoming a phone sex operator, now is the time to start.
Phone sex searches
Although the rise of online searches for phone sex seems that many of us Brits are looking for some dirty talk action, the data also show that we may not be entirely comfortable with actually doing it. Along with looking at the phone sex search trends for UK cities, Vivastreet also looked at the type of questions people were asking in relation to phone sex.
According to Google Search Trends data, the two biggest queries related to phone sex were:
What is phone sex?
How to have phone sex?
It seems us Brits need some guidance when it comes to sexy chat.
Phone sex tips for beginners
When it comes to good phone sex, Moyle stresses it’s all about communication, saying that:
“It’s not all about what happens on the call. Like everything else in life communication is an essential ingredient of our sex lives, whatever format they take; and so if you are thinking about moving your sex life to the phone during the lockdown period, then make sure that it’s something that you have talked about trying first.”
If you’re a phone sex virgin, and are talking tentative steps towards your first foray into the world of smut talk, it can be intimidating. You might even be feeling an added sense of pressure, such as whether you’re doing it right or knowing how long it should last?
According to Moyle, “there is no set, or ideal amount of time that things should go on for. Like the rest of our sex lives there is variance, and we will have long slow sex sometimes, and other times a quickie. It’s all about what feels right for the two of you.”
Queen stresses the importance of open communication, stating that we should “think about both what you’d want to share (your own fantasies, experiences, physical activities, etc.) and what you would prefer to keep private.”
“Determine what your preferred vocabulary is, too. What do you call penises, vaginas, anuses, etc? Make sure you are comfortable saying the words you want to use, or figure out different words that you are comfy with.”
More tips for amazing phone sex can be found here.
As Moyle further adds to this saying that the key to good phone sex communication is firstly getting it right. It’s also important to remember that everyone is different. What works for some will not work for others. “To not have unrealistic or perfect expectations is the best way to let go and enjoy yourself, otherwise it can become goal orientated and that can create pressure.”
“Remember that there is no norm, this is about the two of you enjoying yourselves and taking your sex life in a different direction.”
As we await for the lockdown to officially end, phone sex can provide a sense of escapism of the current situation, as Queen says, it “allows you to stay erotically connected no matter where you are.”
