Do 18-24 year olds have sex any more

[iwatchus]

New Yorker article I ran into today, (here) claiming that the current 18-24 year old cohort is having far less sex than earlier generations. Not sure how many youngsters like that are on here. Does this ring true to you?

 

[Kumquatqueen]

New Yorker article I ran into today, (here) claiming that the current 18-24 year old cohort is having far less sex than earlier generations. Not sure how many youngsters like that are on here. Does this ring true to you?

They're not going out and getting well wasted, which is going to reduce a lot of them getting together. Even UK student bars are going bust. And way more of them are still living with parents, which also going to be a deterrent.

And they're terrified of photos bring taken and ending up where they shouldn't.

Sounds horribly plausible.

 

[Pabiporffor]

It was practically a hobby when I was that age. Kumquatqueen makes some good points but I'd add there's a lot more misogyny these days and surprise surprise girls don't drop their panties if you don't respect them. There's also an increase in men expecting stuff like choking so perhaps it's a bit more risky to have a one night stand. Then there's the fact there's cameras everywhere, not as easy to get a quickie in the loos these days..

 

[Nynah]

New Yorker article I ran into today, (here) claiming that the current 18-24 year old cohort is having far less sex than earlier generations. Not sure how many youngsters like that are on here. Does this ring true to you?

I had some issues with this article.

• There is far too much attention given to the work of a transphobe (Louise Perry) whose book on the subject matter is self-admittedly only addressing heterosexual folks and minimizing/villainizing the existence of LGBTQ+ people. The author of the article calls some of what Perry writes "reasonable statements" and for that alone I am inclined to disregard the entirety of their thesis. This piece could have been written without platforming someone with such hateful and backwards views.
• The author posits that depression and reduced alcohol consumption contribute to young people having less sex overall and while I can agree to that on some level, I feel like she squanders an opportunity to tie that into how the Internet and social media have shaped these behaviors.
• I think she completely missed the mark on not talking about incels. That would have been an easy cohort to highlight and research. Related to that would be Kumquatqueen's point about how many young people still live with their parents because of the current ecnonomic climate.

Young people might not be having as much sex as previous generation but this article doesn't do a great job of explaining why.

 

[MrPixel]

Then there's the fact there's cameras everywhere

I think that's a sizable part of it. I'm recalling what dating life was like for me 50 years ago. I'm thinking that doing the same things - like teasing exposures outside in foreplay or even a quickie in the car - these days would land you in front of a magistrate in the time it took for the police cruiser to find your car, already ID'ed by a roadside camera. Even sex in the woods is off the table, with cheap camouflaged trailcams proliferating in both public and private "wilderness" spaces. That unexpected hard knock on the door could be the conservation police asking about "recent activities in [Park X]". (That's a genuine issue in our state.)

And KQ is right. The economics of the 21st Century mean that many 20-somethings are still living in Mom and Dad's basement. So unless the parents are with the program understanding that their child is now an adult with adult needs, with the camera issues infecting public and non-public spaces, where can a young man and young lady go to screw without spending $250 on a hotel room?

And that's if they have discussed it and are completely in agreement, with explicit, clear consent the rule now? The teasing "maybe" or "still thinking about it" of old-style dating, not to mention spontaneous passion, are too risky and/or expensive - so what's a hormone-charged young couple going to do? Find a porn theater? No, they've disappeared, and were too dangerous, anyway.

Sex is way too much trouble when you don't control your space.

 

[iwatchus]

So is this putting us out of a job? Or are we replacing the real thing for them? Or have we already lost out to unlimited porn at the drop of the hat?

 

[TheLobster]

The Boomers are telling them that sex is evil and they should wait until marriage.

The Millennials are telling them that finding other people sexually attractive may be problematic, and that they should worry about consent every step of the way.

Their own generation is telling them that if they misstep at any point, they run the risk of getting their faces plastered all over TikTok and labeled accordingly.

It's a small wonder that anything gets hard or wet in such an environment, really.

 

[crookedletter]

So is this putting us out of a job? Or are we replacing the real thing for them? Or have we already lost out to unlimited porn at the drop of the hat?

Similar articles have long since been saying nobody reads anymore, so...

 

[iwatchus]

Similar articles have long since been saying nobody reads anymore, so...

Most of what I have seen is that people don't read books anymore -- I do make my first years read an entire book, btw.

So, people who write strokers should do fine. People like me who can't control themselves and let the words just spill out are probably doomed.

 

[cdstefi]

Dunno, I didn't pop my cherry till I was 27 and have been making up ever since

 

[MrPixel]

I forgot to add to the paranoia - AI-fueled facial recognition. Plausible deniability has essentially been kicked to the curb. "You were seen..."

 

[iwatchus]

I forgot to add to the paranoia - AI-fueled facial recognition. Plausible deniability has essentially been kicked to the curb.

That problem is only a concern for white males -- it is usually wrong for anyone else anyway. Too many tech bros deny humanity to anyone else.

 

[AnomalyLady]

Dunno, I didn't pop my cherry till I was 27 and have been making up ever since

I’ll be 29 next month. I’ll have some making up go do too at some point hahah

 

[FrancesScott]

The Millennials are telling them […] that they should worry about consent every step of the way.

When was that unimportant? Are you saying this is a bad thing?

As for:

[…] finding other people sexually attractive may be problematic

Can you substantiate that Millennials think that, or is it just something to say?

 

[TheLobster]

When was that unimportant? Are you saying this is a bad thing?

If past generation had been as squeamish about consent as it is culturally sanctioned right now, humanity would've gone extinct long ago.

Can you substantiate that Millennials think that, or is it just something to say?

I used "Millennials" mostly as a stand-in for the cluster of memes that constitute the prevailing culture in the West, as this is the generation that is perpetuating it to the largest extent.

 

[PennyThompson]

If past generation had been as squeamish about consent as it is culturally sanctioned right now, humanity would've gone extinct long ago.

Either you misunderstand how consent is supposed to work, or that's an exceptionally gross thing to say

 

[Pabiporffor]

Most parents have given the "birds and the bees" talk. But is it time parents sat down with their adult 18+ sons and daughters and ask them why they're not having sex? Perhaps it's time we provided safe places where young people could play hide the sausage in safety.

 

[THBGato]

If past generation had been as squeamish about consent as it is culturally sanctioned right now, humanity would've gone extinct long ago.

Bullshit.

Either you misunderstand how consent is supposed to work, or that's an exceptionally gross thing to say

Beat me to it.

The Millennials are telling them that finding other people sexually attractive may be problematic,

Utter bollocks. What Millenials are saying is that yelling out a car window at somebody you find attractive is not, and has never been, cool. We are NOT saying you aren't allowed to find people sexually attractive, we're just saying a) don't be crass about it and b) don't be a bitter arsehole if they aren't interested.

 

[AG31]

New Yorker article I ran into today, (here) claiming that the current 18-24 year old cohort is having far less sex than earlier generations. Not sure how many youngsters like that are on here. Does this ring true to you?

Didn't read the article. Is there any implication that they're having less sex because they're depending on virtual sex? If so, there are two relevant thread going right now, one about RL vs virtual sex and one about AI "characters".

 

[NuclearFairy]

I think the points brought up are for the most part valid points and very likely part of it. But I think there's also the time factor. As teens they were kept even busier than millennials, and I know a lot of my peers didn't have much free time to get into trouble, and that was while living out in the sticks without as much to do, and it only got worse for the next generation. And once a teen is accustomed to having every hour of their day filled up with something, it's hard as an adult not to keep it full up with something that doesn't involve what their parents would've viewed as a distraction.

BTW I still wanna know what porch dicking is.

 

[lovecraft68]

The only button the average 18-24 year old can push is a video game controller. All the "alpha men' shows claim women are to fussy, especially young women.

Imagine wanting a guy who has a car, wants to drive, will pump gas in the rain so they don't have to. has a job and doesn't live with their mother and jack off to grand theft auto.

 

[FrancesScott]

If past generation had been as squeamish about consent as it is culturally sanctioned right now, humanity would've gone extinct long ago.

Wow! #NotAllMen - that’s a fucking scary thing admit to thinking in public

I used "Millennials" mostly as a stand-in for the cluster of memes that constitute the prevailing culture in the West, as this is the generation that is perpetuating it to the largest extent.

So unsubstantiated then, something you heard or saw and thought, “that aligns with what I think,” got you.

 

[Bigbobnc]

I’ll be 29 next month. I’ll have some making up go do too at some point hahah

I think that’s a great idea, need any help?

 

[FrancesScott]

Utter bollocks. What Millenials are saying is that yelling out a car window at somebody you find attractive is not, and has never been, cool. We are NOT saying you aren't allowed to find people sexually attractive, we're just saying a) don't be crass about it and b) don't be a bitter arsehole if they aren't interested.

Thanks for using ‘we,’ I should have been brave enough to do the same.

 

[MelissaBaby]

If past generation had been as squeamish about consent as it is culturally sanctioned right now, humanity would've gone extinct long ago.

That sounds a little pro-rape, bub.