Considering that most social interactions for this generation-including hanging out with friends-happens through digital screens, in some cases racking up nine hours a day of screen time a day, there is no doubt in my mind that this technological disconnect is having a profound impact on sexuality. Without a car, paycheck or personal privacy, dating and sex can become extremely difficult.īut as a sex neuroscientist, I have come to believe that it's not just external factors leading to the repudiation of sex positivity among so many Gen Zers. They are also less likely to get a paying job or a driver's license than previous generations of adolescents, or to spend time without parental supervision. In general, Gen Zers tend to reach life milestones later than earlier generations, living at home with their parents for longer and delaying marriage. And when young men are struggling, young women will feel those effects, too. Young men have fallen behind their female peers in educational attainment and employment prospects, which can create an overall sense of malaise and disillusionment. But for the high percentage who do not, several key factors appear to be at play.
It's important to remember that 85 percent of Gen Z do report sexual activity since turning 18. What could be driving this aversion to sex? Other studies found similar patterns of sexlessness, and it was particularly pronounced among young men who like to play video games.Īwash in semi-pornographic advertising, a large portion of Gen Z would just rather not. 15 percent said they were sexually inactive, compared with only 6 percent of Gen Xers when they were the same age. One seminal study found that Gen Zers between the age of 20 and 24 were more likely than both millennials and Gen Xers to report having had no sexual partners.
And yet, they aren't behaving like other generations at that age. Gen Z refers to the cohort born after 1996, so its oldest members are 24 now. Gen Z is shaping up to be the least sex positive generation in a long time.
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