The share of Americans having regular sex keeps dropping • Hacker News Board

Re: The share of Americans having regular sex keeps dropping

#21

Post by __turbobrew__ » Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 4:57 PM UTC

lithocarpus wrote: post #4

Humans generally don't interact in person as much with other humans anymore and technology is I think one of the big drivers of this change. From the article: "When it comes to sexlessness (“no sex in the last year”) among young adults, the biggest change comes post-2010." "Between 2010 and 2019, the average time young adults spent with friends in a given week fell by nearly 50%, from 12.8 hours to just 6.5 hours." N…

Smart phones and the ubiquity of internet and video games is really it I think. You never have to be bored anymore, and therefore don’t have to meetup in person to be entertained.

Re: The share of Americans having regular sex keeps dropping

#22

Post by fruitworks » Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 4:57 PM UTC

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #16

Aside from the other examples given I suppose (listed in no particular order, numbers not related to importance of reason) 1. Social movements promoting not having sex. Obviously not that big a thing but it does cut down the available sex partners. 2. reiterating the examples people give of animosity between male and female, straight sex still the bulk of sex and does seem to be a lot more reasons for avoiding each o…

fertility decreased in the sexual revolution

Re: The share of Americans having regular sex keeps dropping

#23

Post by namuol » Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 4:57 PM UTC

amelius wrote: post #13

d4mi3n wrote: post #9

Is this really all that surprising? We have a ton of things ongoing now that we either know or suspect are big contributors to this: - the whole male loneliness epidemic - a longstanding loss of community and social organizations around the country - a pretty terrible job market for many Americans - plenty of things to be stressed or worried about. Geopolitical instability. Erosion of individual rights. The complete…

Feminism maybe? (yes controversial, more science needed)

Feminism started in 2010?

Re: The share of Americans having regular sex keeps dropping

#24

Post by stickfigure » Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 4:57 PM UTC

Article is written by a conservative think tank pushing traditional family values. The statistics might or might not be valid but I wouldn't take their word for it.

Re: The share of Americans having regular sex keeps dropping

#25

Post by revx » Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 4:58 PM UTC

d4mi3n wrote: post #11

revx wrote: post #5

The article mostly blames pornography and digital addiction, but I think those are symptoms of a larger problem, which is lack of belonging and community. If life sucks, you have few friends you can afford the time or money to see, and you work to make other people rich until you are exhausted, when do you have time and energy to maintain a relationship? If you feel like the world is on fire, it's hard to get in the…

You make some good points about attitude around sex in parts of the US today, and the erosion of community is a topic I was was more often discussed. Sex ed is also something I was more universally supported. Regardless of your views on when someone should have sex, I doubt it serves anyone’s goals to have young adults getting hurt, sick, or traumatized by a natural part of growing up.

I recently read (and enjoyed) Casey Tanner's _Feel it All_, which takes the stance that lack of sex ed is little-t traumatic, and backs up that argument convincingly.

It's a surprisingly positive read, given that thesis. The idea that we should be tought (in an age approptiate way) how our bodies work and how to respect others shouldn't be controversial, and yet, here we are.

Re: The share of Americans having regular sex keeps dropping

#26

Post by mrits » Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 4:58 PM UTC

revx wrote: post #5

The article mostly blames pornography and digital addiction, but I think those are symptoms of a larger problem, which is lack of belonging and community. If life sucks, you have few friends you can afford the time or money to see, and you work to make other people rich until you are exhausted, when do you have time and energy to maintain a relationship? If you feel like the world is on fire, it's hard to get in the…

Even 30 years ago in East Texas we had sex ed in junior high. Abortions were legal and common. Boys had it shoved down their throats not to harass girls. I learned the biology of sex in 4th or 5th grade. While there was a common public message of abstinence the reality is most of the parents had their girls on birth control. At least all my friends were anyways.

Re: The share of Americans having regular sex keeps dropping

#27

Post by ryoshu » Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 4:59 PM UTC

ancillary wrote: post #12

revx wrote: post #5

The article mostly blames pornography and digital addiction, but I think those are symptoms of a larger problem, which is lack of belonging and community. If life sucks, you have few friends you can afford the time or money to see, and you work to make other people rich until you are exhausted, when do you have time and energy to maintain a relationship? If you feel like the world is on fire, it's hard to get in the…

> Americans: why isn't anyone having sex anymore?? Also Americans: Abstinence only! You'll get pregnant! No abortions! STDs will kill you! Men deserve sex! We're not going to teach you how your body works! None of that is new in America. If anything, I'd expect that these forces were stronger 20-30 years ago, when sexual activity rates were higher.

Social media and phones with cameras has made a lot of people risk adverse. When a video can hit Twitter or TikTok or Reddit about something that can ruin your life why risk it?

Re: The share of Americans having regular sex keeps dropping

#28

Post by praptak » Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 4:59 PM UTC

nathan_compton wrote: post #7

You gotta love a society which persistently makes the world a worse and worse place and then complains when people don't want to have sex or have kids. I'm not one of those weirdos who can't see that materially in some superficial ways, our lives are better than ever: medicine, toys, entertainment, and a lot of other stuff, better than ever. Not only that, I can even acknowledge that capitalism is what has provided t…

Even the purely materialistic improvements have negative externalities which the rich western countries could mostly ignore but cannot anymore. I'm obviously talking the climate catastrophe plus the huge bunch of political problems.

Re: The share of Americans having regular sex keeps dropping

#29

Post by watwut » Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 4:59 PM UTC

revx wrote: post #5

The article mostly blames pornography and digital addiction, but I think those are symptoms of a larger problem, which is lack of belonging and community. If life sucks, you have few friends you can afford the time or money to see, and you work to make other people rich until you are exhausted, when do you have time and energy to maintain a relationship? If you feel like the world is on fire, it's hard to get in the…

Sex education lowers amount of sex among teenagers. Lack of it raises amount of sex among teenagers. Basically, when they know how body works, they have less sex, mostly dropping out of unsafe sex entirely. (Basically having less but safer sex).

Abstinence only education creates teenage pregnancies, basically.

Re: The share of Americans having regular sex keeps dropping

#30

Post by ramesh31 » Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 4:59 PM UTC

d4mi3n wrote: post #15

asdev wrote: post #8

This is all because of technology. Pre internet you could not just isolate yourself and medicate with content since there was only the television. In person communities formed organically as an effect. Those communities have now been eroded by technology. And no, technology cannot help make in person community, it's something organic that needs to happen with people.

Plenty of people isolated and medicated with TV alone. Couch potatoes were a thing. Plenty of people also find community through technology, so I personally don’t believe technology is the only contributing factor here. I do agree with in you general about many Americans not having enough social or communal interaction, though. I suspect this is more a symptom of a lot of other social issues than a purely technologic…

>Plenty of people isolated and medicated with TV alone. Couch potatoes were a thing.

As with all addiction, the poison is not just in the dosage, but the intensity of the hit. Television was only so powerful. Shows ended, commercials ran, and channels were limited. Of course the rise of having absolutely anything imaginable available at all times in high definition in limitless amounts will make the effect far stronger.