Freija
Forum Wench
- Joined
- May 20, 2026
- Messages
- 221
- Reaction score
- 382
Why young people are breaking up with casual sex
(from news.com.au)A once-common bedroom act is officially on the brink of extinction as young Aussies adopt a new relationship trend.
It’s an age-old night-life scenario: you lock eyes with a stranger across a crowded bar, share a couple of cocktails, followed by the classic “walk of shame” the next morning.
For generations, one-night stands have been a late-night experience so common, some describe it as a sexual rite of passage.
But according to a new ‘sex trends’ report by Lovehoney, the casual hook-up is officially facing extinction as young people reject the act in favour of more meaningful encounters.
Elisabeth Neumann, sexologist and head researcher at global sex toy retailer, told news.com.au that younger generations aren’t necessarily more “prudish”, but are instead reacting to a radically altered dating climate.
The shift is being driven by a range of factors including dating app fatigue, a massive decline in night-life, and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
“With more than a quarter of late-night venues closed since 2020, we’re seeing a real shift in how young people approach alcohol and night-life,” Ms Neumann explained.
The data revealed that only half of 18 to 24 year-olds have had a drunken sexual encounter, compared to nearly 70 per cent of 25-to-34-year-olds and almost three-quarters of 35-to-44-year-olds.
The Lovehoney report noted that “without the inhibition-lowering effects of alcohol or specific spaces where hooking up is socially sanctioned, it’s no wonder that one-night stands are in decline”.
On top of that, a cost-of-living crisis means many young people are still living at home and the conditions that once made casual encounters accessible have largely disappeared.
That’s reflected in the data, with a massive 77 per cent of those living with their parents saying they’d never bring a one-night stand home.
Instead, more young people are opting for more intentional intimacy.

"This generation has been brought up in a society that treats sexuality in a completely different way to their parents,” Ms Neumann shared.
“Gen Z aren’t rejecting intimacy, they’re being more intentional about it, attaching more meaning to sex and seeking connection on their own terms.”
As a result of this new-found approach, young people are having far less sex than older generations.
Aussies aged between 46 and 61 are currently having sex almost twice as often — averaging 62 times per year — compared to their Gen Z counterparts, who clock in at just 36 times a year."
Look at them Boomers go!
The article goes on to discuss dating in the age of A.I. and how new trends are indicating how young people are meeting and dating in today's world.I guess that's good but also kind of sad. Who doesn't have a memory or two, good and bad of drunken one night stands and doing things they regret the next day? Damn kids don't know what they're missing!

