Millennials are having less sex than their peers in previous generations. But it isn’t, for the most part, because they are embracing Christian sexual morality. Rather, it is largely because their sexual desires (especially for men) are being slaked by pornography. And because their main relationships are often online rather than in the flesh.
Lutheran pastor Hans Fiene, of Lutheran Satire fame, has a provocative article on this phenomenon in The Federalist. He makes the case that pornography and virtual relationships are uniquely crippling emotionally and morally. Whereas the sexual desire that leads to a relationship with a real person and then to marriage creates a whole range of virtues.
From Hans Fiene, Why It’s Terrible News That Millennials Are Having Less Sex, The Federalist:
What’s causing millennials to be less sexually active, then? As with any trend, there are numerous explanations. But the two biggest factors seem to be the copious amounts of pornography that millennials, in particular millennial men, have grown up consuming, and the widespread use of socially isolating social networking. Just take a look at this profile of a millennial man, courtesy of Tara Bahrampour:
Noah Patterson, 18, likes to sit in front of several screens simultaneously: a work project, a YouTube clip, a video game. To shut it all down for a date or even a one-night stand seems like a waste. “For an average date, you’re going to spend at least two hours, and in that two hours I won’t be doing something I enjoy,” he said.
It’s not that he doesn’t like women. “I enjoy their companionship, but it’s not a significant part of life,” said Patterson, a Web designer in Bellingham, Wash.
He has never had sex, although he likes porn. “I’d rather be watching YouTube videos and making money.” Sex, he said, is “not going to be something people ask you for on your résumé.”
For those who believe that sex is something that ought to take place only within the confines of marriage, it’s initially encouraging to hear that millennials are having less sex outside of marriage. It becomes profoundly discouraging, however, to learn that the cause is not a rediscovery of Christian morality, but having their plane shot down by the bazooka blast of smut and antisocial behavior.
This raises an important question: Is this a curious fad or a troubling trend? Will the millennial lack of interest in sex eventually correct itself, once we adjust to life in the internet age? Or will they be unable to pull themselves out of the screen-filled, porn-infested tar pit and rediscover the value of human companionship and physical love?
[Keep reading. . .]
Photo, “Young, wired and living life on the digital edge–meet the Millennials,” by TheeErin, Creative Commons License
Millennials are having less sex than their peers in previous generations. But it isn’t, for the most part, because they are embracing Christian sexual morality. Rather, it is largely because their sexual desires (especially for men) are being slaked by pornography. And because their main relationships are often online rather than in the flesh.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In