Why Young Men Are Having Less Sex

Researchers see a startling decline
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 14, 2020 4:40 PM CDT
Updated Jun 20, 2020 1:30 PM CDT
Young Men Are Having Much Less Sex
He looks happy. Her, not so much.   (Getty Images)

Hey young guys, it might be time to go off the grid. A new study finds that heterosexual young men are having far less sex than they were 20 years ago, USA Today reports. Looking at data on nearly 10,000 men and women aged 18 to 44, researchers say the percentage of sexually inactive men aged 18 to 24 rose from 18.9% between 2000 and 2002 to 30.9% between 2016 and 2018. And nearly a third of them had no sex at all in the prior year. An analysis accompanying the report says young men may be stuck in a prolonged adolescence that leaves them glued to social media, gaming, and streaming.

"There are now many more choices of things to do in the late evening than there once were and fewer opportunities to initiate sexual activity if both partners are engrossed in social media, electronic gaming, or binge watching," psychology professor Jean Twenge writes in the commentary, per Reuters. "However, these reproductive trends have not occurred in isolation; instead, they are part of a broader cultural trend toward delayed development." The study also found that women aged 25 to 34 are having sex less often. CNN notes that regular sex is linked to health benefits including lower stress, better sleep, and improved heart health. (More sexual health stories.)

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