WHAT OUR KIDS ARE REALLY UP TO

REVEALED: UP TO A THIRD OF YOUNG PEOPLE DEFINE THEMSELVES AS LGBTQIA+, THEY’RE AS LIKELY TO BE READING BOOKS AS PARTYING – AND A SURPRISING PROPORTION ARE LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

A THIRD of Australians aged 15 to 24 identify as LGBTQIA+, while more males than females want to marry and have children and a surprising proporation say they have a disability.

One in five say they never party, while 40 per cent say they party less than once a month, an exclusive News Corp survey has revealed.

Despite the amount of time young people appear to spend on their phones, more than one in 10 read books every day.

The results of the Big Youth Survey contradicts many stereotypes.

One of the greatest surprises is how many of that age group identify as LGBTQIA+, which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual and more.

The figure was 32 per cent, with an additional 5 per cent preferring not to say.

That number rises to 34 per cent when just looking at the 18 to 24 age group category.

That’s up from 15 per cent in 2020, according to Year13, which undertook this latest survey on behalf of News Corp.

Saxon Phipps, co-founder of Year13, which helps young people transition from school to work or further education, said they consistently find between a quarter and a third of people they survey identify as LGBTQIA+.

He said while the number moves around with each survey “the general trend over the past few years has been upwards.

“Gen Zs are more informed about these different sexual orientations and gender identities than previous generations were at the same age who might’ve denied it, kept it secret or just have simply been unaware of it,” Mr Phipps said.

Child psychologist Dr Kimberley O’Brien said she had seen a rise in clients identifying as LGBTQIA+, with many wanting to be referred to as “they or them”.

“We are being more sensitive to these pronouns,” Dr O’Brien said.

“I’m not surprised by these numbers. Every fifth report I write is about gender.”

Meanwhile, the idea that girls dream and plan their weddings from when they are little is well and truly over, with just 67 per cent of females saying they want to get married, compared with nearly three-quarters of males.

When it comes to kids, the traditional gender stereotypes have reversed with more males hoping to become a parent one day (67 per cent), compared with 61 per cent of females.

Year13 Co-founder Will Stubley said it was surprising, but what the data shows is that it’s young LGBTQIA+ females driving this difference – of the young females who said they don’t want to have children, two thirds of them identify as being LGBTQIA+.

Dr O’Brien said the idea of girls leaving school, getting married and having a child is now old-fashioned, while at the same time boys see a lot more males playing a fatherly role with their kids.

The survey also found that just under 13 per cent of respondents have a disability, compared with the 2021 Census result which reported a lower figure of 9.3 per cent for that age group.