The Longest Shortest Time

EPISODE #259: The Sex Lives of College Kids

When Carter Sherman was a teenager, the media was obsessed with hookup culture — fretting that millennials were having too much casual sex. These days, the media frets over Gen Z not having enough sex.

Carter spent a decade reporting on the sex lives of young people — and she wrote a book about what she learned.

Tune in to hear why sex is on the decline for young people, and why that matters.

More from Carter Sherman
• Read Carter’s book: The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future
• Listen to her podcast from The Guardian: Stateside with Kai and Carter
• Carter mentions Peggy Orenstein’s book in this episode: Girls & Sex

Carter’s recommended resources
• For anyone who suspects that their Title IX rights may have been violated: National Women’s Law Center
• For combatting workplace sexual misconduct: Time’s Up Legal Defense Center
• For organizing and supporting survivors of sexual assault: Advocates for Youth, and their initiative Know Your IX. Also, End Rape on Campus and RAINN.
• For LGBTQ+ youth who may need mental health support and community, The Trevor Project offers a 24/7 hotline
• For keeping up with the state of reproductive rights in the US: Autonomy News

Recommendations from the archive
• More on Title IX’s rollback: Preventing Teens from Joining the Manosphere
• Teaching consent to teens: How to Not (Accidentally) Raise a Rapist
• When sex ed is left in the hands of gym teachers: The Staircase

Top image credit: Dan Ming