Smartphones and the sexual behaviour of Generation Z college men in the USA

ABSTRACT

This study examined the potential impact of social media including pornography and the online dating tools used by Generation Z college men. Through the narratives provided by young college men on how smartphone use has impacted their sexual attitudes, intimacy skills and sex lives, findings shed new light on sexual socialisation. Data were collected using semi-structured narrative interviews from 13 male students aged 18 to 22 years old attending a large, predominantly White west coast US university. Interviews were analysed using categorical content analysis to identify major themes. Smartphones were perceived as creating the perceived pressure to have sex, yet discouraged sexual intimacy by serving as a means by which to avoid such intimacy. Young men reported lack of experience initiating intimate relationships even though they wanted to have them. Experiencing failures within the context of sexual encounters decreased self-esteem. Parents’ ability to communicate affected young men’s sexual attitudes and behaviour. These results, although derived from a homogenous sample of men from a primarily White US university, offer a means by which to understand the desire for, yet the insecurity of, sexual intimacy within the context of smartphone use.

KEYWORDS:

• College men
• sexual behaviour
• masculinity
• smartphone
• intimacy
• Generation Z

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.