Teens Are Forgoing a Classic Rite of Passage

Research indicates that the number of teens experiencing romantic relationships has dropped. In one 2023 poll, 56 percent of Gen Z adults said they’d been in a romantic relationship at any point in their teen years, compared with 76 percent of Gen Xers and 78 percent of Baby Boomers.

A whole lot of American adults are withdrawing from romance—not just young people, writes Atlantic staff writer Faith Hill. But the trend seems to be especially pronounced for Gen Z.

“Of course, you can grow into a perfectly mature and healthy adult without ever having had a romantic relationship; some research even suggests you might be better off that way,” Hill writes.

“You can flirt; you can kiss; you can dance. You can have a crush so big it takes up all the space in your brain; you can care about someone deeply; you can get hurt—badly. Plenty of young people, then, could be having transformative romantic encounters and still reporting that they’ve never been in a relationship. It could be the label, not the emotional reality, that’s changing,” Hill continues.

“In the aggregate, though, this shift could be concerning: a sign, researchers told me, of a generation struggling with vulnerability,” Hill writes. “A first love, for so many, has been a milestone on the path to adulthood—a challenging, thrilling, world-expanding experience that can help people understand who they are and whom they’re looking for.”

What’s lost if that rite of passage disappears? Read the full story at the link.

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