A public health professor has issued a warning after research has shown one of the most popular sex acts that is on the rise among Gen Z could be incredibly dangerous.
Gen Z — the demographic cohort born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s — are less sexually active than older generations. This has been linked to a number of different explanations, including increased smartphone and social media use, high stress levels, mental health struggles and a knock-on effect from the Covid-19 lockdowns.
However, a lot of Gen Z individuals who are having sex are taking part in a very dangerous trend.
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Sexual choking, which is also known as erotic asphyxiation, is rising and experts are understandably concerned about the dangers of inexperienced people engaging with it.
Choking is actually a form of strangulation. It’s performed as part of the dominant/submissive sex dynamic by squeezing or pressing on the neck to cut off blood flow which results in lightheadedness because of the drop in oxygen levels. For some, this leads to intense erotic pleasure.
A survey of over 4,000 undergraduate students in 2020 found nearly one in three women and one in four transgender and non-binary respondents had recently been choked by a partner during sex. Around one in four men performed the choking.
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The findings, which were compiled by Indiana University’s Center for Sexual Health Promotion, suggest BDSM dynamics are becoming more mainstream and normalised.
This kink has become mainstream, and a hand around the neck during an intimate moment may sound like one of the less dangerous kinks, but strangulation does have its risks.
“Parents need to step into these conversations because choking is unlikely to be addressed in high school sex education, even though many teenagers are already engaging in it or may soon,” warns Dr. Debby Herbenick.
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“Though deaths from consensual choking are rare, they do happen,” she told Sex and Psychology.
“We need to be talking about this with young people,” she added, noting that choking during sex has had a huge rise in popularity in the past 15 years.
“Sexual choking used to be extremely rare and now many young adults have engaged in it,” she said, citing studies of college students and their sexual habits.
“In contrast, very few adults over 50 have ever been choked during sex.”
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Herbenick’s research has found text online aimed at helping people find ‘safe’ methods to explore this kink, but some of the advice was dubious.
She says if you do want to try it, you must be aware of the risks. You should engage in choking rarely and partners should only use light pressures with just one hand.
"Pressing on the sides of the neck where the carotid arteries are can lead to tears in the arteries which can potentially lead to stroke, days or weeks or even months later. This risk may increase with age or for people with cardiovascular health problems,” Herbenick said.
“Over time, some people may experience cumulative brain injury, which is well documented with other forms of strangulation.”
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Health
Gregory Robinson