• Posted April 21, 2026

A Third Of Young Adults Are Couch Potatoes, Their Parents Say

Young adults are struggling to stay active and fit after they leave high school, a new survey suggests.

About 1 in 3 parents say their 18- to 25-year-old is minimally active or completely inactive, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

Young kids and teens have built-in opportunities to stay active, researchers said, such as gym class, youth sports and extracurricular activities.

But after high school, those options fade or vanish, leaving young adults to their own devices to remain in good shape.

“Physical activity has a profound impact on overall health, but many people do not maintain the same level of activity as they get older,” Mott Poll Co-Director Dr. Susan Woolford said in a news release.

“Young adulthood can be a particularly challenging time, especially as structured opportunities like sports and gym classes fall away,” said Woolford, a Mott pediatrician. “After high school, young adults often need to put in more effort to find activities they enjoy and make time for them.”

Parents said the main things keeping their young adult from getting enough physical activity include time (36%); lack of interest (23%); screen time or gaming (17%); having no one to be active with (13%); health-related limitations (11%); and cost (10%).

Parents who rated their child as minimally active or inactive were more likely to cite a lack of interest (57% versus 7%); screen time or gaming (31% versus 11%); and health-related limitations (20% versus 7%).

“Parents are telling us that interest is a major barrier,” Woolford said. “If young adults do not find physical activity enjoyable, they are much less likely to make it part of their routine.”

These young adults tend to get their workouts using exercise equipment (43%); through on-the-job activity (41%); or by partaking in cardio exercise (33%) and outdoor activity (31%), parents said.

Few got exercise through active fun (17%) or organized sports (14%), the poll revealed.

“This shift may reflect a move away from social forms of activity to more independent ones,” Woolford said. “Social connection can make physical activity more enjoyable and may help people stay active longer.”

Many parents say they try to encourage their young adults to become more active, through providing verbal encouragement (73%); suggesting options to try (61%); doing an activity with their child (50%); paying for an activity (27%); or offering a reward for being active (18%).

However, these efforts generally aren’t successful when it comes to inactive young adults, parents said.

“Encouragement alone is not always enough,” Woolford said. “Finding activities that are enjoyable and accessible is key to helping young adults build lasting habits especially if activities can be linked to things they value.”

Parents of less active young adults were more worried about the long-term effects on their health (69% versus 14%) and employment options (17% versus 3%), the survey found.

Only about 1 in 4 parents said a health care provider has discussed physical activity in recent years.

“A common challenge for young adults is maintaining a healthy lifestyle as they become more independent,” Woolford said. “For some, that means fitting exercise into a busy schedule or limited budget. For others, it’s about building a routine.”

Mom and Dad can help.

“Parents can still play an important role during this transition,” Woolford said. “The habits formed at this stage can shape long-term health and well-being.”

The survey involved 1,550 parents with at least one child aged 18 to 25. The poll, which took place in February, has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 to 5 percentage points.

More information

Stanford Medicine has more about healthy habits for young adults.

SOURCES: University of Michigan, news release, April 20, 2026; University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, poll report, April 20, 2026