New CDC figures suggest a sharp fall in the number of ninth-grade girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual, reigniting debate about social influence, identity and how quickly young people’s answers can change. The figures matter for families, schools and researchers trying to understand a striking post-pandemic reversal.

Essential Takeaways

  • A steep decline: The proportion of ninth-grade girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual reportedly fell from 30% in 2021 to 17% in 2025.
  • Bisexual identification drove the change: The share identifying as bisexual dropped from 26% to 13% over the same period.
  • Boys’ figures were steadier: Reported identification among high school boys showed far less movement.
  • The cause remains uncertain: Researchers and advocates point to social media, peers, culture and pandemic disruption, but no single explanation has been established.
  • One survey is not a verdict: Experts urge caution before treating the latest numbers as proof of a permanent trend.

A striking reversal among younger girls

The headline figure is hard to miss. In 2021, around three in ten ninth-grade girls reportedly identified as lesbian or bisexual. By 2025, that had fallen to fewer than two in ten, according to reporting based on recent CDC data.

The change is especially pronounced among girls identifying as bisexual, whose reported share was cut in half. That makes the result feel less like a gentle statistical wobble and more like a clear movement in the data, although surveys can capture changing language as well as changing identity. Fox News and other outlets highlighted the result as a notable reversal among teenage girls. [2], [3]

It also puts the post-pandemic period under a brighter spotlight. Older teenage girls still reportedly identify as lesbian or bisexual at higher levels than before the pandemic, suggesting the picture isn't a simple return to earlier patterns. [4], [7]

Why did the numbers move so quickly?

There isn't an agreed single answer, and that's important. A rapid change over four years could reflect shifts in identity, greater or lesser willingness to choose a particular survey response, changing peer environments, or a mixture of all three.

Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University, examined the 2025 figures and observed that the decline began before the change in presidential administration. That timing weakens any neat explanation based solely on national politics or election cycles. [2], [6]

Social media and friendship groups are often mentioned in discussions of teenage identity, particularly because adolescence is a period when language, belonging and self-description can be fluid. But pointing to social influence isn't the same as proving it caused the fall. As Christian Post coverage noted, the available data cannot settle that question on its own. [7]

A survey snapshot needs careful handling

For parents and teachers, the practical lesson is restraint. A percentage describes what a group reported at one point in time; it doesn't explain why each individual answered as they did, nor does it predict how every teenager will identify later.

That distinction matters because the numbers concern self-identification, not a clinical test or a permanent label. Young people may use different terms as they learn more about themselves, while others may avoid answering in ways that feel exposed or complicated. Maine News Now and Worthy News both presented the figures as significant, but the broader debate still centres on interpretation. [3], [6]

The safest response is to ask better questions rather than rush towards a celebration or a panic. What changed in the survey environment? Did young people interpret the response options differently? Were online habits, school culture or wider social attitudes involved? Those are research questions, not conclusions.

Experts urge caution over the apparent drop

Glenn T. Stanton of Focus on the Family said the key question is simply why the movement occurred, noting that researchers haven't identified a definitive cause. His observation captures the tension around the figures: the shift is attention-grabbing, but the explanation remains elusive. [1], [6]

Walt Heyer, an author and founder of a ministry focused on people who regret gender transitions, also urged caution. He argued that it would be premature to treat one report as proof of a lasting downward trend and called for more studies before drawing strong conclusions. [1], [7]

That warning applies across the debate. Data can be politically convenient, especially when it appears to support an existing view, but teenagers' lives are more complicated than a single line on a chart. The human reality behind the percentages deserves more care than a quick victory lap.

What should families and schools take from it?

Families shouldn't use the figures as a reason to interrogate teenagers or assume that a statistical trend tells them what their own child feels. A calm, open conversation is more useful than a dramatic prediction, particularly when identity and belonging can feel intensely personal.

Schools and policymakers, meanwhile, need longer-term research that follows changes over time and separates social context from survey wording. Comparing age groups, question formats and patterns across several years could show whether this is a durable shift or a temporary correction after an unusual pandemic-era rise. [4], [7]

For now, the CDC figures are best understood as an important signal rather than a final answer. They show that teenage identity patterns can move surprisingly quickly, but they don't yet tell us exactly why.

It's a striking change, but the explanation will take more than one survey.

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