Multi-Factor Authentication: Young Men’s Intuited Approach to Consensual Sex

This study explored how young heterosexual men understand and apply sexual consent, especially when it is ambiguous. Through qualitative interviews, we examined their definitions of consent, views on verbal consent-seeking, and decision-making processes. Three findings emerged. First, participants consistently cited a conventional definition—free, ongoing, and explicit—but struggled to apply it in practice. Second, most found verbal requests for consent awkward, unnecessary, or disruptive. Third, all described using a process we term multi-factor authentication: an intuitive system in which consent is inferred from mutuality (reciprocated, escalating cues) combined with contextual indicators such as trust, timing, location, and occasional verbal check-ins. Alcohol use and clothing were rarely considered relevant. Instead, men emphasized emotional intimacy—trust, empathy, connection, and vulnerability—as central to consensual sex. These findings suggest that while consent education has successfully conveyed the principle that sex must be consensual, it offers few practical strategies for implementation. Recognizing multi-factor authentication as a key framework can inform education that addresses both normative definitions of consent and the complex realities of sexual encounters.