Gen Z's Secret Love Lives Exposed: 1 in 3 Caught Texting During Sex (And 24 Texted Mom Back)

Anonymous Campus Apps Yik Yak and Sidechat Drop Valentine's Day Bombshell Survey of 100,000 Students—Plus Launch Campus-Wide Cupid Algorithm

NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Move over, dating apps. Gen Z is rewriting the rules of romance, and it's wilder than anyone expected.

A groundbreaking new survey of 100,000 college students from anonymous social platforms Yik Yak and Sidechat has unveiled Gen Z's most shocking bedroom secrets—and they're equal parts hilarious and horrifying. From mid-intimacy phone scrolling to roommate roulette, this generation is proving that when it comes to love and lust, literally nothing is off-limits.

The Stats That'll Make You Do a Double Take:

Phone > Passion: A jaw-dropping 35% of Gen Z adults confess they've texted or scrolled social media during sex. Because apparently, nothing says romance like pausing to check your TikTok notifications. Even more shocking? 24 students admitted to actually answering their mom's text mid-deed. Talk about a mood killer.

Roommate Roulette: Think privacy matters? Not to 23% of Gen Z, who've had sex with a roommate in the room. The real kicker? 8% did so with their roommate awake—that's over 8,000 students who said "the show must go on."

Trust Issues 101: Nearly 1 in 4 students (22%) regularly stalk their partner's phone, while 15% tried it once and immediately regretted it. Only 46% claim they've never been tempted, making the snooper-free crowd officially the minority.

Plot Twist—IRL is Back: In a surprisingly wholesome turn, 72% of Gen Z met their current or most recent partner the old-fashioned way: in person. Looks like meeting your soulmate at a frat party or bonding over bad dining hall food is making a major comeback.

"People come to Yik Yak and Sidechat for real community and real honesty," says CEO Kyle Venn. "Anonymity lets students say what they actually think, and polls turn that honesty into insights that are sometimes hilarious, and always real. You end up learning things people would never admit out loud. We've seen huge engagement across both platforms, along with interest from brands that want to reach bot-free, genuinely engaged communities."

This Valentine's Day, the apps (boasting a combined 2.2 million users) are launching an exclusive matchmaking feature to find your perfect match. Here's the twist: after answering 30-50 questions, you'll be paired with exactly one person from your campus—no doubles, no overlaps, just one compatibility score and a week of anticipation. Seven days later, you'll get a DM revealing your match's name. Will it be your lab partner? That person from your philosophy class? Your roommate's ex? The algorithm knows, and you're about to find out.

About Yik Yak
Yik Yak, which joined forces with Sidechat in 2023, is the leading anonymous social platform for U.S. college students, serving campuses nationwide with 2.23 million quarterly users, representing 15% of all U.S. undergraduates. With a 50% year-over-year back-to-school growth, more than 6 million downloads, and a 36% regular posting rate, Yik Yak is on the pulse of every Gen Z trend. The free-to-use platform utilizes .edu verification, maintains 42-second moderation response times with human moderators, and employs community downvoting to create a completely bot-free environment that gives students a safe, anonymous space for authentic conversations they wouldn't have with their names attached. Yik Yak relaunched in 2021 with completely overhauled moderation systems and joined forces with Sidechat, creating the infrastructure necessary to keep communities safe, authentic, and engaging, while reaching #2 in the App Store for social media in September 2025. For advertisers looking to join the growing roster of cool brands leveraging Yik Yak's direct line to Gen Z, visit https://yikyakforbusiness.com/.

Media Contact:
Katie Goulding Green
[email protected]
347-463-4377

SOURCE Yik Yak