Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.
Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.
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Notes -
The so-called sex recession has been discussed both here and on the two old subreddits extensively, and a consensus seems to have formed for a good reason (I think) that it's not actually a sex recession per se but instead a socialization/community recession, a recession of social interaction. That is, it's not only sexual activity that is declining but also every form of socializing and all traditional social circles (churches, clubs, associations etc.), and the sex recession is just one consequence of that.
There are three related phenomena that I remember being occasionally addressed on the subreddits, namely:
(These two started to take place largely around the turn of the millennium and were exacerbated by the 2008 financial crisis, and can be explained by a combination of social and technological trends but that's not the point here.)
The long-term effects of the federal enforcement of 21 as the drinking age, as a phenomenon peculiar to the USA. This meant that people over 21 and under 21 have no venues or social circles left where they can interact, and teenagers who graduate from high school and subsequently lose that place as a venue for socializing basically find no replacement for that, because every conceivable venue that could fill that role caters to people over 21.
The proportion of 18-year-olds with driver's licenses has apparently also declined massively, which appears to be a phenomenon tied to the ones above; anyway, I don't remember it ever being discussed here in detail.
All in all, the obvious combined effect of all of this is the massive loss of what sociologists call third places for teenagers in particular. And all this happened before the proliferation and normalization of smartphone/tablet use, which had its own great consequences, of course.
So, to get to my question: have there been studies about this particular phenomenon and its effect on the sex recession or the social lives of teenagers / 20-somethings? Because there must have been one. Was it ever even discussed in mainstream media?
I think there is a decline in the number and affordability of spaces where young adults could just hang out with peers, and I’ll definitely agree that the (safetyist) push for graduated licenses and later driving ages have made this worse. It’s driving the loneliness epidemic, the dating recession, and I’d argue the phenomenon of online radicalism (and it’s both sides) are driven by just a lack of offline, cheap and easily accessible places where a kid between 15 and 20 can afford to hang out and don’t need to get parental permission to get to.
I’ve come to the conclusion that all groups of people in society need their own in-person offline spaces where they can be with other people of similar ages and backgrounds especially away from the prying eyes of outsiders who might not appreciate the activities or discussions had by those people. Incels, I believe are created when socially awkward boys are not given access to male only private in person and offline spaces where they can learn to be social and learn from other men how to approach a woman and how to not be awkward when dating one. You simply cannot do that in mixed company or around adult gatekeepers who will be offended by the discussion.
True. I remember there used to be dance clubs / discos specifically catering to teenagers under 18. They were the same as normal clubs but there was no alcohol served.
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