Coffee Chats: Have The Young (20s) Become Boring?

Time is precious. Here we value non-boring chats and interactions that are fully engaging, soulfully enriching, inspiring, and leave you a bit wiser than when you arrived. In that spirit, today’s fully hosted laid back social coffee chat will offer a perfect haven for the inquisitive & curious on an intriguing observation.

Growing up in any western society, Friday and Saturday nights meant going out with your mates for music, dancing, drinking, eating, singing, fun silly moments and random conversations with strangers. Taking drugs even. Bank Holiday weekends were for city holidays - doing it all in foreign city going to bars, resturants and clubs you've never been before.

Fast‑forward to 2026 and the vibe feels different: Despite public transport running all night (it wasn't when I was in my teens/ early 20s yet we all stayed out till 5am) - young people head home at 11, skip the Saturday night dance floor for board games in the pub, avoid bar banter, jokes and rarely engage in organic spontaneous non-small talk chats. Whatsmore the stats are wild — data show virginity rates among men hitting record highs by age 30 with and social anxiety off the scale. So what's happened?

We’ll explore questions like:

• Is this just nostalgia talking, or has something genuinely shifted?
• Why has typical multi generational fun pastimes (1940s to 2010s) lost its spark for the 20‑somethings?
• How much does health, economics, phones, social media and gaming explain this new trend?
• Are certain professions (like tech/IT) changing the social landscape, or just attracting already‑very introverted people?
• Why are some stats so contradictory? Think higher reported male virginity rates by 30 alongside rising STI rates in young people – what's going on?
• Target audience demographics for commericial music radio stations (Capital, Kiss etc) is still 18 to 24 suggesting young people are still consuming music and other popular culture but not going out for it. Why?
• Dancing is natural to all of us - every kid moves instinctively to music. So beyond a flatter and less joyous social life what happens when these innate behaviours get suppressed as adults? What is this lack of both exercise and creative expression replaced by?
• As AI is predicted to take over technical job and tasks, the most future‑proof skills will be things like intepersonal skills, emotional intelligence built through real‑world socialising. Employers already complain that young people lack these innate skills. How will they get non IT jobs?
• Levels of emotional intelligence and self awareness particularly amongst men are at an all time low. Wiill social anxiety worsen further as the introversion trend accelerates?
• What does all this mean for dating, relationships, and starting families?

Expect lively debate, sharp humour, and a host (a former journalist) that isn’t afraid to ask the awkward questions. Bring your curiosity, your stories, and your caffeine tolerance — we’ll stir the pot on whether the young have really become more boring or have they’re just rewritten the rules of fun. And if you are in your 20s - I would love to hear your views!

Lucas - The singing break dancing Old Fucker