China has cracked down on AI relationships. Is it ahead of the game? In early 2024, a young man in the city of Huangshi, south-eastern China, reportedly posted a message on the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin. Within minutes, the suicide prevention team at Douyin kicked into gear. The team, which is staffed 24 hours a day, shared the man's posts with five police stations in Huangshi. After geolocating one of his videos to a local park, police found him in emotional distress and intervened before he was able to take his own life.

You're viewing the US edition You can switch to the UK or AU homepage at any time using this menu. Trump explodes at CNN's Kaitlan Collins as he arrives at the UN with Melania Hayden Panettiere's cause of death revealed one month after star died aged 36 There's a hidden message in Diana's brother's vengeful new book. No wonder William has kept silent... Harry's role in this is so suspect: MAUREEN CALLAHAN Chronic UTIs made sex so painful it almost destroyed my relationship. What REALLY goes on in some Equinox steam rooms: Gym insiders reveal eye-popping indecency... secret towel signals used by experimental married men... and clubs with most'aggressive' locker rooms Kaitlan Collins' explosive closed-door reaction to White House media ban... as CNN insider reveals network's revenge plot that'll infuriate Trump and twisted'leverage' conversation among bosses Grieving Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber seen for the first time at son Presley's former home as new details emerge about his desperate last minute dash to save himself from relapse Presley Gerber's'inevitable' death: Family insiders reveal life-long secret struggle that sparked'self-destruct' spiral... and mother Cindy Crawford's desperate bid to save him before shock death at 27 Rare nor'easter to slam 13 states with hurricane-force winds and 12-foot waves starting TODAY: 'Very serious situation' 'Looksmaxxing' influencer Clavicular is charged with rape, drugging and giving minor alcohol in Massachusetts A fleeting look in Patrick Clancy's eyes during his 60 Minutes interview sent shockwaves through me... this is the truth about him and his pregnant new wife that must be said: KENNEDY Why it really DOES matter what time of day you take your blood pressure pills. Name of MISTRESS of American Idol star accused of murdering wife is dramatically confirmed in court by victim's sister... who says pair went to same church group: Live updates Man vs robot: Influencer takes on 6ft humanoid in a terrifying cage fight - and it doesn't end well for him Truth about Adriana Lima's dramatic face transformation... and why surgeons say it could easily happen to you I'm a urologist who's treated thousands of men with erectile dysfunction.

Mashable Selects Creator Playbook Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more In My Bag Say More Trending Now Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off Mashable Voices Safety Net All Series A'masturbation consultant' for an AI companion company tells all We would be chatting on the platform, and it would get a bit steamy. Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky .

Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Look Up Say More Trending Now Mashable Selects Creator Playbook Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off Mashable Voices Safety Net Versus All Series Tabitha Britt is an award-winning freelance journalist, editor, and SEO/AEO strategist. Aside from reviewing dating apps and sex toys for Mashable, Tabitha is also the founding editor-in-chief of DO YOU ENDO -- a digital magazine by individuals with endometriosis, for individuals with endometriosis. She has a Master's degree in Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism from The New School for Social Research and is a grad of Sextech School. You can find more of her work in various online publications, including,, and . Editors and writers independently select products unless marked Sponsored or Promoted. Sponsored content is a paid ad, while content marked Promoted is chosen by Ziff Davis leadership. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy through our links. Promoted cards do not include input from individual authors. These are the tech, tools, and products -- from laptops to e-readers, from earbuds to robovacs, and more -- that Mashable ranks best in class. Based on my extensive hands-on testing and expert input, I've picked the best sexting apps and online sites to keep your flirtiest, dirtiest chats truly private -- whether you're messaging a partner, a hookup, or a verified creator. Because sometimes the anticipation of a hookup is even hotter than the main event. In my experience, sexting is the ultimate form of digital foreplay . It's the glue that keeps long-distance relationships from falling apart, the spark that stops long-term couples from feeling like roommates, and -- for all you singles out there -- the safest way to test sexual chemistry before you ever meet up in person.

These'Masturbation Consultants' Were Hired to Pleasure Themselves With AI Joi AI hired 10 people to masturbate using AI companions as part of a monthlong "wellness" study. The company claims the practice could help "solve male loneliness." For 28 days, Keshav had a new item on his daily to-do list: masturbate for research purposes. Both before and after self-pleasuring, he logged his mood, energy levels, cravings for various vices, and whether he was procrastinating. Keshav was taking part in AI companion company Joi AI's experiment assessing what happens if erotic self-stimulation becomes "an AI-guided wellness ritual."

More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Discovered in 2013, the Pink Planet orbits a sun-like star located 57 light-years from Earth. At roughly 25 times the mass of Jupiter, it sits near the fuzzy boundary between giant planets and brown dwarfs. So, astronomers refer to it as a "planetary-mass companion," meaning that it's a planet-sized object orbiting a star. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week.

We've been testing coolers for years, and our top picks are on sale for Amazon Prime Day. Every Prime Day, I find myself surprised by the random categories that seem to be prominently featured. You always expect a headphone deal or some other discounted tech . But you might not anticipate seeing heavily discounted coolers. I'm the lead tester for our guide to the Best Coolers, which means my entire apartment would be completely overrun if I didn't have my colleagues taking up space in their basements, garages, and camper vans to help me test them out.

"I've got one hand on the keyboard, one hand down below," an artist who role-plays with their chatbot tells WIRED. But some asexual advocates aren't thrilled about the association. Kor "got really addicted" to their NSFW role-playing AI chatbot last year. The 35-year-old artist from the Midwest recalls a two-month period spending "eight to 10 hours a day" creating elaborate fantasies with SpicyChat, a relationship role-playing platform . Sometimes inputting 3,000-word mini essays into the program, Kor and the AI spun narratives featuring a rotating cast of suitors often based on characters from the Marvel comic book universe.

These cuddly, connected companions could disrupt everything from make-believe to bedtime stories. No wonder some lawmakers want them banned. The main antagonist of, in theaters this summer, is a green, frog-shaped kids' tablet named Lilypad, a genius new villain for the beloved Pixar franchise . But if Pixar had its ear to the ground, it might have used an AI kids' toy instead. AI toys are seemingly everywhere, marketed online as friendly companions to children as young as three, and they're still a largely unregulated category.

Vibe coding just got a whole lot more adorable. OpenAI introduced AI-generated pets to the Codex app, its agentic tool that helps with coding. These optional animated companions don't do any coding themselves, but serve as a floating overlay that can tell you what Codex is working on, notify you when Codex completes a task or whether it needs your input on something. The new feature lets developers see Codex's active thread, without having to switch away from your current open app. Users can type /pet in to the Codex app to summon or dismiss the companion.