1 in 8 Gen Zers Have Chosen Scrolling Over Sex
Sex doesn’t seem as appealing to the younger generation as it once did. That might because they now have another obsession: their phones. A new survey found that many Gen Zers actually prefer to scroll on their phone than to be intimate with each other, which speaks to how addicted they are to their screens — and, perhaps, to how averse they are to IRL connection.
Earlier this month, the self-improvement app RiseGuide released the results of a survey of 2,000 Americans that dove into the way Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X prioritize their phone use. Among other findings was that 1 in 8 Gen Zers admitted to finding it “more pleasurable” to scroll social media rather than to have sex. When broken down further, only 64% of Gen Z generally prefer sex, compared to 71 percent of millennials and 79% of Gen Zers. However, 39% of Gen Z and 38% of millennials revealed that they “sometimes” choose scrolling over sex as well.
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RiseGuide researchers call this “The Great Unwanting.” As Jaimee Campanella, time strategist and productivity consultant at RiseGuide, told Vice , “The Great Unwanting extends beyond sex, reflecting a broader shift toward passive consumption as a primary mode of living.”
She added that scrolling “keeps you just satisfied enough that you never feel truly hungry for everything that matters: intimacy, connection, new experiences, knowledge, meaning.”
It’s sad, but it’s not entirely Gen Z’s fault. So many Gen Zers prefer their phones over their partners because they are addicted to scrolling. In the same study, 57 percent of Gen Zers admitted that “doomscrolling is just as addictive as tobacco or alcohol.” Additionally, 82% of Gen Z admitted to starting and ending their day on social media, and 44% spend over six hours per day on their phones. That’s a lot of screen time! Overall, the most common spot Americans scroll (71%) is in bed, so it’s no wonder there’s less hanky panky going on.
Even if they want to, teens are finding it hard to put down their phones. In a July 2025 interview with our SheKnows Teen Council , then-16-year-old Clive said, “We’re aware that being on our phone isn’t a good thing, and doing outdoor stuff is better. Talking with your friends is better. But [putting the phone down] can be, like, difficult to do. So when you do it, you feel happy with yourself that you pushed yourself a little bit out of your comfort zone.”
Some of life’s best, messiest, deepest, and most exciting moments — yes, including sex — happen when our phones are turned off. Hopefully Gen Zers will get to experience this for themselves.
Before you go, check out these celebrities who have shared their technology rules
for their kids.
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