Marit and Toomas Hinnosaar

Netflix has been popular for a while, but just recently has been correlated with the idea of people watching it to engage in sexual activities.

The phrase “Netflix and chill” has become a common expression among many teenagers, and often appears on social media, but there are still many who do not understand the term’s meaning. For those of you who have not heard of this modern phrase, you’re probably thinking that it refers to when two people hang out, ‘chill’, and watch Netflix, a provider of on-demand Internet streaming media. You aren’t wrong, but you aren’t right either.

On UrbanDictionary.com, which is an online dictionary consisting of modern slang terms or phrases, ‘Netflix and chill’ has 12 definitions. Most of these definitions are too vulgar for me to include, but a few are a little more reserved. ‘Netflix and chill” is defined as:

1. “A subtle way to lure a girl to come over to your place, initially as just a “friend”, so that it can lead to an opportunity of getting intimate with her while something is playing on Netflix.”

2. “The best thing Netflix was ever good for.”

The rest of the definitions I will leave to the imagination. (If your curiosity is taking over and you have to know, go to UrbanDicionary.com and look it up yourself!)

Sadly, the definitions are accurate for the most part, and the popular term is having a very negative impact on today’s young culture. Phrases like ‘Netflix and chill’ promote casual sexual interactions among young people. People should be able to express their sexuality freely without anyone judging, but this phrase can affect the society in such a negative way that it leaves long term damaging effects.

Along with the chance of getting an STD or having an unplanned pregnancy, casual sexual intercourse among people of any age, especially teenagers, is commonly correlated with depression, anxiety and low self-esteem, according to a study done by Psychology Today.

In the past, if someone liked someone, it was customary to get to know them before engaging in sexual relations. In today’s society, ‘Netflix and chill’ is considered normal.

With the mental and physical consequences ‘Netflix and chill’ may have, the culture could potentially be more harmful than it seems on the surface.