In the big 26, there are a lot of trends surrounding and defining the “talking stage” of dating in high school. If you didn’t know, a talking stage is before you start dating someone; it’s when you’re mostly just texting them a lot, both with the same end goal of dating. Obviously, I’m not here to judge, only silently judge. In no particular order, these are things I believe we should do away with to have more connection-filled situationships and talking stages!
1.Meeting On Snap
This may make me sound like a complainy elderly man when I say this, but I truly can’t stand meeting and having your talking stage exclusively on Snapchat. I understand that you wanna add who you’re talking to on Snap- totally cool, yes- but adding someone who you have mutual friends with, and then snapping them pictures of the ceiling or half of your face (if you’re really serious) everyday feels fake. Is that really going to be something, or do you just want to keep a streak? Who said that? Must’ve been the wind… If you do have mutual friends with that person, have your friends invite them to hang out as a group. If you add each other on Snap, it should be because you already have their phone number or you intend to give it to them on Snap. There’s just something so fake and distant about a talking stage on Snapchat. I know it happens all the time and has basically become the norm for high school dating in 2026, but I am not a fan.
2.Waiting To Text Back
It seems like common knowledge for a highschooler in a talking stage to not text back immediately because it comes off as desperate. Interest in someone and cultivating a friendship or relationship requires communication and care for one another. If you don’t want to sound too interested, are you interested? If they think you’re desperate when you text back right away, that’s a red flag. Genuine interest in a person means you can’t wait to text them. I’m not saying butterflies are a requirement when talking to or thinking about them, but if you’re trying to sound uninterested when they do want to talk to you, that’s putting off a connection with someone who you do like and care about. If you like someone, you should want to be with them and talk to them. Just go for it and text them!
3.No Double Texting
This one is along the same lines, but I know you are just dying to hear what I have to say about it. Double texting (sending two or more texts one after the other with the goal of buzzing the person’s phone repeatedly) is widely known among Gen Z as a no-no when you’re interested in or in a talking stage with someone. I double text everyone I know, so it always seemed like an odd rule to me. When I asked my friends about double texting when it came to dming or texting someone you like, they said it’s frowned upon because it makes you seem annoying or, again, desperate. Let me hold your hand when I say this: if someone thinks you’re annoying for texting them when there is a mutual interest, that is not the relationship you deserve. To have a healthy relationship, you have to have good communication. So being scared to send another text? Red flag, I’m sorry. Double text because if they like you, they’ll want to hear from you, and they’ll want you to be yourself. One word texts don’t deepen relationships.
I know this was me just complaining about “kids these days” and social norms I don’t agree with, but I believe I do have a point. If you can’t be yourself around someone you are interested in, that’s not the relationship for you! Everyone deserves someone who respects and appreciates who they are and vice versa; it’s the very root of the relationship. So go for it, this is your sign. Ask them out, be yourself, and don’t listen when TikTok tells you how to have a “proper” talking stage. It’s high school- you’re not getting married or anything. Just take the chance, do what feels right, and have fun!
