New US survey data suggest fewer high-school pupils are describing themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual, particularly among younger girls. The figures offer a striking snapshot of changing self-identification, but they need careful reading: the survey measures what teenagers report at one moment, not a permanent verdict on identity or future relationships.

Essential Takeaways

  • Younger pupils showed the sharpest change: The proportion identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual fell most noticeably among 14- to 15-year-olds.
  • Older teenagers still reported higher levels: Around 16% of 17- to 18-year-olds selected an LGB category in the latest figures.
  • Girls appear to drive the movement: Researchers reviewing the wider dataset said the shift was concentrated largely among female pupils.
  • This is a snapshot, not a prediction: Survey answers can be influenced by age, language, privacy and how comfortable pupils feel responding.
  • The CDC tracks more than identity: Its youth survey also covers mental health, sleep, physical activity, online behaviour and safety.

Younger teenagers show the biggest shift

The clearest movement appears among younger pupils. According to the CDC's 2025 Youth Risk Behaviour Survey data, the share of 14- to 15-year-olds identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual fell from 17% in 2023 to 11% in 2025.

That is a sizeable change in a relatively short period, although a two-year comparison shouldn't be treated like a population census. A survey answer can reflect changing terminology, social confidence or the moment a teenager happens to be asked.

The CDC describes the survey as a broad view of health and wellbeing among American high-school students. Sexual orientation is one strand in a much larger picture, alongside issues such as sleep, diet, exercise, online activity and emotional health.

Older pupils still report higher levels

Among 17- to 18-year-olds, 16% selected an LGB identity in the latest results. That was the highest proportion across the age groups highlighted, despite being two percentage points lower than the 2023 figure.

The pattern matters because identity labels often become more settled, or simply more familiar, as teenagers get older. But the data doesn't show that every pupil moves in one direction. Some may change labels, some may choose not to answer, and others may describe themselves differently as their understanding develops.

That makes the findings useful as a population-level signal, rather than a neat explanation of individual lives. Numbers can reveal a trend, but they can't tell us why a particular teenager selected one response over another.

Why the gender pattern is attracting attention

Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University who reviewed the wider CDC dataset, said the decline appeared to be driven largely by girls. She described the result as particularly striking in her analysis of the age-group figures.

The CDC publishes separate breakdowns covering sexual orientation trends and demographic characteristics, allowing readers to examine the results beyond one headline percentage. Those tables are important because an overall average can conceal very different experiences between age groups and sexes.

Still, the figures shouldn't be turned into a culture-war scoreboard. For families and schools, the more useful question is whether pupils feel safe, supported and able to answer health surveys honestly. That is less dramatic than a headline, but far more consequential.

How to read the CDC survey without overinterpreting it

The survey is biennial and designed to provide a snapshot of US high-school pupils. That means its strength is scale and consistency, while its limitation is that it captures reported responses at a particular point in time.

Readers should also distinguish between sexual orientation and gender identity. They are different measures, and the CDC's sexual-orientation tables don't offer a complete account of every aspect of a teenager's identity or relationships.

For parents, the practical takeaway is simple: avoid treating one survey response as a label carved in stone. Young people may use different words over time, or none at all. A calm conversation, privacy and a willingness to listen are more helpful than demanding certainty.

A developing picture, not a final answer

The latest results suggest that teenage self-identification is moving in a different direction from the sharp rises reported in some earlier discussions. Yet the CDC's wider data will need continued monitoring before anyone can say whether this is a lasting change or a temporary fluctuation.

Future survey rounds should help show whether the decline continues across age groups and whether the gap between girls and boys remains. In the meantime, the findings are best understood as evidence of changing responses, not proof that young people's underlying feelings have changed in exactly the same way.

For anyone following youth health trends, that distinction is the quiet detail worth keeping in view.

Explore the figures carefully, and let the next survey add the missing context.

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