Claims have emerged that members of Generation Z (who were born between the late ’90s and the late aughts and who are also unfortunately known as Zoomers) are “puriteens,” and this moment in time is a “sex recession.” Over the past few years, a number of studies have shown that Gen Z is dating less and having less casual sex, even at a time when both have never been more accessible thanks to the proliferation of dating apps and other social media. But the truth is far more complicated, less puritanical, and has quite a lot to do with recent sexual politics.
“Culturally, our definition of what sex is has shifted big time,” says Saleema Noon, a Vancouver-based sexual health educator who has worked with children, youth, and parents. “Sex isn’t just penis and vagina.”
