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or as long as mass media’s existed there’s been moral panic headlines about ‘kids these days’: they’re satanists, they’re pregnant, they’re lazy, they’re on drugs, etc. For some reason, my generation has managed to inspire a delightfully unique fear: we’re not horny enough. We’re annoying prudes who don’t have sex and judge everyone who does. It’s been talked about on Buzzfeed, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and r/GenZ (that’s not to mention the SNL skit).
As a sex-obsessed fetishist who totally fucks (😎) I clearly don’t fit into the ‘puriteen’ stereotype (I guess now I’d be a ‘puridult,’ but still). Honestly, though, the narrative about my generation rang true to me…until I took a closer look. Let’s explore how Gen Z gained this reputation, talk about why it feels true, and unpack some of the faulty logic.
WTF Is A ‘Puriteen’?
‘Puriteen’ is a portmanteau of ‘puritan’ and ‘teen’ that started being thrown around in the early 2020s. It’s not a particularly new stereotype, even if it’s most recently been applied to Gen Z. Originally Millennials were called the “New Victorians” and “the most prudish generation in history.” Now, they say Gen Z is in a sex recession. Data does actually show that Gen Z is having less sex than Millennials (who are having less sex than Gen X), but that’s not really how the term ‘puriteen’ tends to be thrown around. Generally, the stereotype is more about being prudish and judgmental than just having less sex.
The Sexual Morality of the ‘Puriteen’
I first heard ‘puriteen’ as an insulting description for anti-shippers. What’s an anti-shipper? Well…it’s a whole thing. For an in-depth description I highly recommend Sarah Z’s video on the subject. Basically, in fandoms people will talk, write, and make art about their favorite imaginary couples– people they “ship.” Heated arguments break out about the ethics of those pairings– would they be ok in real life, is it ok to depict them in fiction, etc. Being generally anti ‘problematic’ pairings makes you an “anti-shipper” and being generally pro ‘problematic’ pairings makes you a “pro-shipper.” I told you, it’s a whole thing.
Freedom of expression has always been a strong value for me, so even without being in any fandoms the discourse drew me in. I saw crazy screenshots of people calling each other incest supporters for imagining fictional characters kissing. I listened to talking heads yap about Twitter arguments while I brushed my teeth. I called my best friend to complain about kids these days being too woke (all while using my sociology degree to write trituses against racism, sexism and transphobia). I was pissed.
Down, Down the Discourse Drainpipe
It wasn’t just moralizing about fanfiction plotlines, either. My fellow Gen Zers were stabbing me in my sex-positive back at every turn: My YouTube recommendations were full of 40 minute think pieces about how it’s pedophilia to call your boyfriend ‘daddy’ in bed. Every other meme was about how creepy polyamorous people are. Wearing a pup hood to pride was basically sexually assaulting asexual people. Even movies for women by women about the experience of being sexualized as a child were somehow encouraging the sexualization of children! Oh, and apparently my 8 year age gap with my girlfriend means I’m being groomed now. Great! I had enough fuel in my tank for about five years of ranting at my partners instead of having all that sex I pretend to care about.
I decided to write this piece because I wanted to stand up against this wave of judgmental sex negativity I saw in my generation. After spending some time on research, I started to reconsider. Don’t get me wrong, I still believe art should be able to depict harm and that ‘depiction isn’t endorsement.’ I still find kink valuable because of its connection to taboo and broad structures of power, not in spite of it…but is Gen Z really coming for my artistic and sexual freedom? Is that really what anyone needs to be worrying about? I don’t know, man. I think I might have just taken the bait.
It’s Not (just) Sex Negativity, And It’s Not (just) Gen Z
It’s easy for me to look at the discourse I just skimmed through and think “Jesus Christ there’s a lot of prudes nowadays.” The thing is, that’s just the internet arguments that have gotten to me the most. My algorithm knows I’m a kinky fucker (I mean, I’m getting Instagram ads for giant silicone tits and tentacle-based AI erotica, I fear the secret’s out). It makes sense to feed me content about my interests…and it makes a lot of sense to feed me content that makes me feel attacked, pissed off, and leaving paragraphs-long rants in the comment section.
It’s well-established by now: we know that moral outrage fuels engagement on social media. It’s why “Rage Bait” was Oxford’s 2025 Word of the Year. It inspires the dogpiling that happens to almost anyone who gets a modicum of public success. Arguably, it’s to blame for the state of politics over the past decade or so. Even if platforms aren’t trying to make everyone point fingers at each other, maximizing profit means maximizing engagement. Creators know it, so they pick outrage-inducing topics and clickbait with titles about ‘pdf files’ and ‘grapists.’ Algorithms know it, so they feed you content about how those awful people over there are out to get you and everything you love.
I love being Mommy’s dumb puppy, of course the most prudish discourse around sex and kink got funneled into my brain, but it’s just one shitty subgenre–endless moralistic arguing pops up online about literally anything. You can’t share your own experience of lesbianism or your favorite mix of water flavoring packets without inspiring some hellish domino effect of moral outrage and accusations. One peek at any of my grandparent’s Facebook feeds makes it obvious that this isn’t a single generation issue, either. Anyone spending enough time online will get targeted with ‘moral-emotional messages’ catered to them. That’s not Gen Z’s fault, it’s just the physics of this new world. Gen Z just happens to be the first generation growing up inside it. We’ve been shaped by our environment…to be a little moralistic.
The Truth Of The ‘Puriteen’
Like with all bullshit, a little kernel of truth is hidden in the ‘puriteen’ idea: sexual norms and morality are genuinely shifting. It’s been a long time since popular porno theaters and underage nudity in blockbuster films. Especially post-MeToo, there’s been some serious thought put into the place sex has in our culture. Why does media tend to focus on romantic and sexual relationships more than platonic ones? What does it mean that women are so often portrayed as naive and childish in a sexy way? Why has being a famous (pre)teen girl required being sexy and dealing with shit like countdowns to your 18th birthday?
These questions are pretty fair, to be honest, especially for Gen Z. When you watch a man break a jar inside his ass before getting access to any real sex ed, stuff’s bound to come up. Many of us grew up in a disorienting whirlwind of unbridled internet access, #MeToo, and all the sex negative bullshit every generation deals with. Oh, and a lot of us were groomed and exploited in ways that didn’t even exist a few decades ago. For many Gen Zers, their first exposure to kink wasn’t consensual experimentation—it was running into some scary shit online or worse. As much as I value sex positivity, I get why the takeaway for some people was ‘kink is just abuse in sheep’s clothing.’
Gen Z Totally Fucks..Even If We’re Barely Fucking
It’s easy to think Gen Z’s sex-negative…if you’re just looking at headlines and internet drama. There’s definitely some prudes among us, but there’s a lot bigger fish to fry than a few “anti-shippers.” Freedom of sexual expression is facing tighter and tighter regulations, and not because of annoying puriteens online. Gen Z isn’t a monolith, but on average we’re more likely to support legal abortion and queer rights. We’re open-minded about sex work (makes sense since so many of us are sex workers). Oh, and we’re gay. Like, really gay. About 30% of us are some kind of LGBTQ+ way more than any other generation in recent history. Sure, we have less sexual intercourse, but who cares? What even is sex? To quote esteemed Gen Z Sexpert Lindt Greer “Sex can look like anything.” Maybe the real sex was just the progressive values we found along the way.
