More Gen Zers are living with their parents. It's impacting their sex lives - USA Today

There are plenty of reasons why Gen Z is having less sex. But perhaps the most awkward reason is that many are still living under their parents’ roof.

A new study of Gen Zers conducted by Playboy, the Kinsey Institute and contraceptive brand Julie − shared exclusively with USA TODAY − found that 54% of respondents lived at home, with 64% of those living with their parents reporting they didn't have sex in the past three months. 

Research shows Gen Z − the cohort born from 1997 to 2012 − is having less sex than earlier generations, despite a desire to engage in sexual activity. But as Gen Z navigates a growing housing crisis, for some young adults, the hardest part of having sex isn't finding someone to have it with; it's finding somewhere to do it.

“They're delaying their independence, and understandably so, which is also going to delay their ability then to be able to go out, to be able to form relationships,” says Anthony Preischel, a New York-based sex therapist. “It definitely has decreased their ability to be able to have casual sex.”

Research shows a general decline in teens and young adults engaging in sexual activity. In 2023, 32% of teens said they had sex, compared with 47% of teens in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The trend extends to older Gen Zers, too − about 24% of adults ages 18 to 29 had no sex in the past year, a figure that has doubled since 2010, according to a study from the Institute for Family Studies (IFS). 

It’s not that the desire isn’t there.

The Playboy study found that 29% of respondents overall hadn’t had sex in the past three months, and one in five had never had sex at all, despite nearly 80% reporting moderate to very high levels of desire to engage in sexual activity. 

“The desire is very different than having the availability to be able to explore that desire,” Preischel says. “People are getting burned out from the dating apps, they are feeling a little bit more socially anxious about going out and meeting people, (there’s) a little bit of greater fear of rejection.”

Virginia Gramarosso, a 26-year-old Chicagoland health educator who works with middle schoolers, high schoolers and young adults, says she’s observed in her personal and professional life that more young adults are choosing to live at home.

“It has a huge impact on their sexual choices,” Gramarosso says. “I think many struggle with trying to maintain their privacy while also respecting their parents and the space that they share.”

Living with relatives can complicate the logistics of dating, and may also be a turnoff in itself for some daters. One-quarter of respondents to the Playboy study said their parents continue to have strict rules for them, adding another layer of complication.

Living at home may have once been a source of embarrassment, but it’s become socially acceptable and viewed as financially savvy amid rising inflation, increasing student debt and unmanageable rent prices. 

In 2025, 25.2 million adults under 35 lived with their parents, a record high that exceeded pandemic-era levels, according to a June 2026 report from Realtor.com. The same report found that of adults 25 to 34 living with their parents, roughly 7 in 10 were employed, indicating that having a job is no longer enough for many young people to afford a place on their own.

Gramarosso says there’s a generational gap between how Gen Xers, Baby Boomers and Gen Zers learn and talk about sex. In many ways, it can still feel like a taboo topic to broach.

“While Generation Z, in my opinion, is increasingly gaining confidence talking about sex and sexuality in online spaces and in their peer groups, I have observed that many are still extremely uncomfortable speaking with the adults in their lives regarding the people they are seeing and having sex with,” Gramarosso says.

To avoid awkward confrontations and questions from parents about their whereabouts, Gramarosso says some young adults may feel it’s easier to avoid dates and sexual encounters altogether.

Gen Zers’ sex lives and dating style reflect a deeper trend of risk aversion − young people are also drinking less and going to fewer parties. Though those things can be positive, they’re also indicators that some Gen Zers may be socially isolated. Much of Gen Z missed out on pivotal years in the classroom or office during the COVID-19 pandemic, which hurt their ability to socialize.

This follows a general trend of people reporting less desire to get married and have families at a young age.

As more young adults elect to live with their parents, Preischel says the concern around living at home “may be more of an imagined stigma than anything.” 

He says the first step for young people to put themselves out there is to recognize that they’re not alone in fears about dating and sexual intimacy.

“If you are nervous about approaching someone, the other person is probably equally as nervous about being approached,” Preischel says.

Rachel Hale’s role covering Youth Mental Health at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Reach her at rhale@usatoday.com and@rachelleighhale on X.