Disturbing Gen Z sex trend exposed

More than half of young people are engaging – for pleasure – in a sex act that can lead to serious harm or death, new research has found.A survey conducted by the University of Melbourne Law School and the University of Queensland of 4702 people aged between 18 and 35, the findings of which were released today, revealed that 57 per cent of participants had been strangled during sex at least once.More than half (51 percent) reported having done it to a partner.Defined as when a person’s breathing is stopped or restricted by the use of hands, other body parts or ties around the neck, the act, commonly referred to as “choking,” cannot be used safely during sex, police, doctors and the researchers, led by Professor Heather Douglas, said.“Placing pressure on the neck is not safe.

Only a small amount of pressure can cause serious harm, and potentially death,” Professor Douglas, from the University of Melbourne, told news.com.au.“Particularly concerning is that this behavior can lead to brain injury and the more often people engage in strangulation the more likely brain injury is.Often people will be unaware of this.”And yet, largely due to its depiction in mainstream pornography and other contemporary media, choking or strangulation is now perceived as part and parcel of what’s “normal” during sex.Thirty-one percent of respondents reported being strangled by a partner for the first time between the ages of just 19 and 21, with women (61 percent) more likely than men (43 percent) to be on the receiving end.The survey’s findings “surprised” even Prof Douglas, who has worked “on strangulation for about 10 years and heard about how common this behavior was from a range of sources”.It’s easy to see why, then, the normalization of sexual strangulation has become a central concern for women’s safety advocates and experts.As Teach Us Consent founder Chanel Contos asked in her National Press Club address last November, “How can it be a s...