Gen Z is skipping sex to do this instead, study says

It’s safe to say Gen Z — the generation born between 1997 and 2012 — certainly beats to its own drum.

They’re not drinking and they’re not having sex. So what is today’s youth actually doing?

According to an EduBirdie survey of 2,000, 67% of Gen Zers would choose a restful night’s sleep over a good romp in the sheets.

Further shocking frisky generations before them, the survey also revealed that 64% of youngsters would rather prioritize keeping a stable job, 59% are focused on their personal success, half are shifting their attention to maintainig healthy friendships and 46% prefer some solo time to getting it on.

Today’s youngsters are proving sex isn’t the only thing that can please them. Pixel-Shot – stock.adobe.com

But this younger generation isn’t entirely prudish, as 37% have experimented sexually, 29% have gotten it on in public, and 23% sext while at work.

Before older folks judge this bashful group, it’s important to consider that “Gen Z is the generation facing the conservative backlash after liberatory movements. The pill introduction, normalization of soft drugs, and the summer of love are objectively too far away from their daily life,” Julia Alexeenko, popular culture and media analyst at EduBirdie, pointed out.

“They’re nudged to spend their time on platforms and applications instead of physical places. As a result, Gen Z focuses more on what’s easily within reach, and that’s some Netflix and self-care, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Data shows Gen Z is more intentional about intimacy than older generations: 82% insist on discussing limits before getting intimate, and 92% feel confident saying “no” in bed. There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to have meaningless, regrettable experiences.”

This group is more focused on keeping a good job, maintaining friendships and spending quality time with themselves. Courtney Haas/peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com

And while these young adults might have good reasons for their lack of sex lives, considering within the last year, 1 in 3 men and 1 in 5 women haven’t gotten freaky, according to the General Social Survey, what is the rest of America’s excuse for going long periods without sex?

Experts say that social media is the culprit.

“The idealization of impossibly high standards has coaxed men into believing that social media influencers with millions of followers may one day show interest in them. It has persuaded women to give the time of day only to men who are over six feet tall and astronomically wealthy,” sex neuroscientist Dr. Debra Soh writes in “Sextinction: The Decline of Sex and the Future of Intimacy,” out Tuesday.

And it doesn’t help that many young women are choosing to go celibate, as they feel hookup culture only benefits men.

“I’m not here to judge, but at the same time, it [hooking up] ruins the part where, when you actually find that person that you want to spend the rest of your life with, it takes away from that special, intimate moment that you have with them,” Mandana Zarghami told The Post.