Sex A-Z | Love Matters

Sex and the internet

Millions of people like to chat on the internet, and meet new people. You can read more in this section about how to deal with online flirting and dating.

How can you make sure your encounters in cyberspace work out well both for you and for the other person?

Apart from looking at pictures of sex on the internet, you can also have sex online. Well, not actually with the other person, but you can have erotic conversations, look at each other on a webcam, or masturbate.

Is it a good idea? What are the risks? If you choose to do it, how can you keep it safe and enjoyable?

Rules for online sex

Agree beforehand whether you are prepared to allow the other person to record webcam video or stills.
If you allow the other person to record video or stills, agree that you will never share them with other people. You will therefore never upload them onto the internet.
Make sure your face is never visible in the picture. Then you will not be recognisable if the pictures do end up on the internet.

Online cheating can’t beat the real thing

Almost 75% of visitors to a dating website aimed at cheaters went on to have a real-life rendezvous with a virtual partner.

Sixty-three percent of visitors were unfaithful by having online sex. But when it comes to infidelity, the virtual variety doesn’t replace the real thing, a recent US study found.

Risky thrills of secret sexting

“Sexting is fun,” says 21- year-old Ruchi, a self-confessed serial sexter.

She’s had a long-distance lover for over a year now and says sexy SMS exchanges have helped keep her relationship buzzing. But she draws the line at sending spicy photos - you never know where they might end up.

Can online sex keep love alive?

Is online sex the way to keep your flame alight in a long-distance relationship?

Radhika and Jan love the thrill of cyber sex in their intercontinental love affair. But for Chaitali and her US boyfriend, the internet sex went stale. And Anamika and her partner in the UAE gave up virtual sex for fear of falling foul of the law.

Cybersex cheating: does it count?

“Dirty talk online or even cybersex is nowhere close to real-life flirtation and sex,” says Ankita from Mumbai, “so honestly I don't get this big fuss about infidelity online.”

She's been in a relationship for the past two years. “If a fun online life can make up for the excitement that goes away in a long-term relationship, then there’s nothing wrong with it.”

Internet affair: worth the risk?

Internet affair: worth the risk? “Married man, good looking, seeks affair with married woman with a taste for adventure.”

Second Love is a dating website aimed at people who are in a relationship but fancy spicing up their life with an affair or a virtual flirtation. The site claims it doesn’t encourage infidelity, it just meets a need. But do the benefits of cheating outweigh the risks?

Peepshows can’t compete with internet

The end of the Amsterdam peepshow is nigh. For those who like to ogle naked flesh, the internet is a lot handier.

A scantily-dressed or naked woman poses on a slowly-revolving platform. Customers pay to peer in through a peephole. For decades peepshows were crowd-pullers in Amsterdam’s Red Light district, but today there's just one left.

Online sex and porn – is it cheating?

Q: I watch a lot of pornography and almost on a daily basis. I also indulge in online sex. Am I cheating?

I have never met my cybersex partner and I don’t wish to. But I like the online sexual relationship I share with her. Does this mean I’m being unfaithful to my wife? Santosh, Varanasi

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