Record number of teens now identify as something other than heterosexual

Research has revealed more teenagers in the US are identifying as something other than heterosexual than ever.

According to The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention report, 17,232 students were surveyed in 2021 and about three-quarters of teens between the ages of 14 and 18 identified as straight.

Nearly 12 per cent of participants said they were bisexual, just over three per cent were either gay or lesbian, and the remaining 9 per cent were ‘other’, which could include pansexual or asexual.

M.Sobreira / Alamy Stock Photo

The latest results show fewer teens than ever are identifying as straight, as the figures have more than doubled in recent years.

In 2015, the people listing something other than heterosexual was 11 per cent and now it's up to 24.5 per cent in 2021.

“Social media has added to this visibility that there are options that were not previously available,” Ritch Savin-Williams, a developmental psychology professor at Cornell, told The New York Post.

“In a positive sense, it sort of says, ‘Hey, look, you don’t have to fit into these boxes'."

The study also coincides with a UK study that found that more and more young people are ditching the heterosexual label.

According to the anti-bullying initiative Ditch the Label, fewer young people identify as straight and instead opt to forgo defining their sexuality altogether.

The survey echoed a similar sentiment to Savin-Williams’ remarks, stating that the internet has made it easier for people to explore their sexuality.

DCPhoto / Alamy Stock Photo

Additionally, a 2020 survey conducted by dating app Bumble surveyed 4,000 users in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia and Canada. It found that many people’s sexuality had shifted during the pandemic.

Around 21 per cent said they planned to ‘express their sexuality differently… compared to a year ago.’

Lauren, who previously identified as bisexual, was among those who had begun to explore her sexual identity as she had excess time to reflect when the pandemic hit.

“Having all that time and consuming a lot of media made me reflect more on my past relationships, specifically with men,” she told BBC News.

“How did I not realise that all of the relationships I had with men were totally unsatisfying?”

Additionally, research conducted in 2020 among LGBTQ+ participants by the Social Relations, Attitudes and Diversity Lab at Ontario’s Trent University showed 11 per cent ‘felt their ability to be out about their identity had changed as a result of Covid-19’.