The Shocking Sex Mistake Most Millennials Make

By Lauren Mazzo

Ever had a one-night stand? You're probably guilty of these two huge no-nos, according to a new survey done by the sexual consent app YES to SEX.

One-night stands can be the perfect way to get a little action (and all the health benefits of sex) if you're not looking for any commitment—but only if you're doing them right. And a scary number of millennials and Generation Zs are doing them wrong. Verywrong.

A new survey of 1,000 sexually active teenagers and young adults ages 15 to 25 found that most millennials and Gen Zs aren't asking for consent or asking their partner about STDs or STIs before hooking up. Specifically, 79 percent have neglected to ask for consent and 84 percent have neglected to ask about STDs. It's no wonder 68 percent of them have regretted a one-night stand.

The survey was conducted by YES to SEX, a sexual consent app that helps you establish consent, choice of protection, and a safe word by having both partners record a verbal statement before doing the deed. OK, so whipping out your smartphone when it's getting hot and heavy isn't the biggest turn-on. But this survey demonstrates just how unacceptably lax we've gotten with protecting our sexual health. With alarming rises in both sexual assault and rape cases and STD rates, these pre-sex steps are critical to ensuring successful and safe casual sex. Without solidifying consent, use of protection, and STD/STI status, you're putting yourself at risk for too many things that could turn one night of pleasure into a physical, emotional, or legal pain in the ass that lasts long after. And that's not even getting into the ~emotional~ side of sex. (Just ask this writer, who boils down her experience with 10 years of one-night stands into seven crucial lessons.)

The bottom line: Whether it takes an app, a little courage, or a moment of patience, pressing pause before getting down and dirty isn't an option,it's a necessity.