Do they really think about it every seven seconds? Are they only after one-night stands? We asked 30 men to bare all – their answers may surprise you

There’s a stereotype about young men and sex. I see it play out across social media, and over wine-fuelled chats with my friends: that men only want one thing, that they all cheat and that, ultimately, they’re selfish in bed. It’s an idea that has been fuelled by the rise of toxic masculinity influencers such as Andrew Tate, who discuss sex as something they are “owed” and encourage other men to think similarly.

For the past eight years, I’ve worked at Cosmopolitan magazine, speaking to millennial and gen-Z women about their love lives, and I can’t deny that there is some truth to the stereotype. But when I decided to have candid (and at times incredibly awkward) conversations with men in their 20s about their sex lives, another story emerged: one of insecurity, hidden and misunderstood sexualities, and often a deeper need for connection.