Key Points
Studies show Gen Z is having less sex and fewer romantic relationships than previous generations, with researchers describing the trend as a growing "sex recession."
Loneliness, excessive screen time, social anxiety, and the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have reduced opportunities for young people to form intimate relationships.
Changing social and political attitudes, alongside shifting priorities such as sleep, career growth, and personal well-being, are reshaping how Gen Z approaches sex and dating.
IT'S OFFICIAL: GEN Z IS IN A “SEX RECESSION.” One would think that the generation that has a plethora of dating and hookup apps at their disposal, quick access to pornography, and has engaged in riveting discussion around sex than any other previous generation, would be having sex right and left. This is the same generation that goes gaga over Sabrina Carpenter’s pop songs with heavy sexual innuendo. Despite all these reasons, research and studies show that Gen Zs are having less sex than the previous generations.
While initial studies attributed this change to the digital screen time and shifting social patterns, recent studies have shown that the ‘sex recession’ has more culturally-rooted and political factors as well.
Just to be clear, anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (age 30 to 45 years in 2026) is considered a Millennial, and anyone born from 1997 onward is part of Generation Z (age 14 to 29 years in 2026).
A report by the General Social Survey (GSS) conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago showcased a decline in sexual activity among people aged 18-64. The share of US adults of this particular age group who have sex at least once per week reduced from 55% in 1990 to just 37% in 2024.
In young American adults, aged 18-24, the statistics are even more shocking. In 2025, around 12% of the targeted age band reported that they never had partnered sex in the previous year. This is in sharp contrast to the 2010 data, where 12% of individuals reported being “sexless” i.e. not having engaged in partnered sex in the previous year.
A report by the Survey on Center on American Life published in 2024 reveals that only 56% of the Gen Z population in the United States say that they had a romantic relationship in their teen years. Whereas, 54% of men from the same generation report limited or no stable relationship experiences during that stage of life.
Pew Research Center, one of America’s premier think tanks and research institutes, has also made statistical contributions to this discussion. A 2023-24 Pew study says that there is a decline in romantic relationships and dating frequency in Gen Z, compared to Millennials when they were at the same age.
Author Carter Sherman in her new book "The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation's Fight Over Its Future", talked to 100 young adults and experts for her book. She outlines how Gen Z’s perception of sex has changed over the years.
We have the rise of the internet, smartphones, social media, porn. We have Me Too, we have the pandemic. Oftentimes, we think about sex as a thing that happens between two or more people in a bedroom. But in reality, the terms of our sex lives are often set for us in schools and school boards and courtrooms and legislatures in Congress and in the White House.Carter Sherman, Author
Different researchers have conducted a variety of studies to probe into why Gen Z are having less sex than previous generations. The findings are comprehensive in their revelations, pointing towards a plethora of reasons for the “sex recession” in Gen Zs.
1. A loneliness epidemic
Despite being the most digitally connected generation in history, Gen Z is also the loneliest. Researchers describe this as a "loneliness paradox" — digital interaction is increasingly replacing real human closeness. Persistent loneliness suppresses the neurological and hormonal systems that drive intimacy-seeking behavior. It also feeds low self-esteem and social anxiety, both of which directly reduce the likelihood of someone pursuing or sustaining a sexual relationship. The Surgeon General of the United States formally identified loneliness among young adults as a public health crisis in 2023.
2. More Digital Time
Gen Z is the first generation to grow up entirely within a digital world that is driven by smartphones and other digital devices. Heavy screen use has displaced the unstructured, in-person social time in which romantic and sexual relationships most naturally develop. This extreme digital use — doomscrolling and passive consumption of curated highlight reels — has resulted in widespread anxiety, depression, and body-image issues. All these issues contribute towards reduced sexual confidence and activity. More than half of Gen Zs with anxiety admit to using social media as a coping mechanism, which worsens rather than relieves their distress.
3. A shift in political landscape
In the US-specific context, political changes have contributed to Gen Z having less sex. The overturning of Roe vs Wade in 2022 — which essentially makes abortion access increasingly difficult for women — has resulted in many being fearful of engaging in sex and having to deal with its consequences. (Hint: the ‘consequence’ in question is being saddled with a child one didn't want simply because they couldn't have an abortion owing to the current legal framework.
See also: US abortion numbers rise since Roe was overturned, study finds
Moreover, the #MeToo movement — which campaigns against sexual abuse, rape culture, and sexual harassment at workplaces — have resulted in an ideological shift to the left especially among young men. Young men increasingly feel like they're being “demonized” simply for being men, resulting in fewer of them seeking out female romantic or sexual partners.
4. Gen Z prioritize sleep more
In the list of Gen Z priorities, “sleep” is at the utmost top. Sex doesn't even make it to the second or even third place. Sleep, career, personal success, friendships, alone time, and then sex, this is how the Gen Z priority list goes. In a poll survey of 2,000 people born between 1997 and 2012 conducted by EduBirdie/EduBuddy, 67% said they would rather get a good night’s sleep than have sex.
Gen Z have their priorities set, it seems.
5. Social stunting owing to COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic arrived at a particularly damaging moment for Gen Z. The youngest members of the generation were in their early adolescence — a critical phase for developing social skills, romantic confidence, and the ability to navigate intimacy. Lockdowns, remote schooling, and the cancellation of normal social life meant that millions of young people lost years of formative experience they cannot recover from.
See also: Why Gen Z Now Prefers Facebook Marketplace Over eBay and Depop
The isolation also pushed youngsters to pursue digital socialization in place of in-person connection. Importantly, researchers emphasize that the sex recession predates the pandemic — 2018 data showed the same trend already entrenched — but COVID-19 acted as a powerful booster.
Author Carter Sherman in her book argues the decline in sex is not rooted in indifference. Gen Z is not uninterested in sex or intimacy — they are anxious about it, poorly equipped for it, and structurally isolated from the conditions that make it possible.
If someone were to reverse this Gen Z “sex recession,” it would require properly dealing and addressing issues like loneliness, mental health, and education simultaneously, researchers say.
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