Young Americans are having less sex than ever — with almost A THIRD of young men ‘sexually inactive’

YOUNG Americans are having less sex than ever - with almost a third of young men 'sexually inactive', researchers say.

Psychologists analyzed data looking at the sexual frequency and number of sexual partners of thousands of men and women and found the rise of the internet and digital media could explain the slump.

Survey data from more than 4,000 men and 5,000 women across the US found that sexual inactivity increased among young American men between 2000 and 2018, according to San Diego State University researchers.

Psychologists analyzed data looking at respondent's sexual frequency and number of sexual partners.

They found that men who were unemployed, had part-time employment or lower incomes were more likely to be sexually inactive.

The percentage of sexually inactive 18- to 24 year-old men increased from 18.9 per cent between 2000 and 2002 to 30.9 per cent between 2016 and 2018.

And it's not just men.
Women aged 25 to 34 were also found to be having less sex, with students most likely to be affected.

The report was published Friday in the medical journal

SEXUAL INACTIVITY

The reasons for this downturn are complicated, but researchers propose that the postponement of adulthood and the growth of the internet and digital media could be the reasons for why.

"First, adolescents and young adults are taking longer to grow to adulthood. This includes the postponement of not just sexual activity but also other activities related to mating and reproduction, including dating, living with a partner, pregnancy and birth," Jean M. Twenge, report author and professor of psychology at San Diego State University said in a statement.

These reproductive trends are "part of a broader cultural trend toward delayed development," she said.

"It is more difficult to date and engage in sexual activity when not economically independent of one's parents".

Adolescents and young adults are taking longer to grow to adulthood. This includes the postponement of sexual activity.

Jean M. Twenge, Professor of psychology at San Diego State University

However, the trend of "growing up slowly" does not explain why sexual activity has decreased among older and married adults.

Researchers proposed that "the growth of the internet and digital media" could be affecting sex lives.

Professor Twenge explained: "Put simply, 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".

The use of mobile technology could also interfere with the satisfaction gained from in-person interaction, the report's authors said.
British couples were also found to be having less sex than in the previous two decades, according to a 2019 study from the United Kingdom's London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Regular sex has many health benefits including reduced stress, improved heart health and better sleep.

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