Leaving the Nest and it's Effect on the Economy

CNN Money recently ran an article about young adults living with their parents. The gist of the article was that because of the job shortage many young adults are still living with their parents or have moved back in. Their thoughtful conclusion is that because these young folks aren't out buying homes or renting apartments there is less demand for housing (so far so good, I would say) but the author then comes to the conclusion that "as a result, the economy as a whole suffers when young adults fail to venture out on their own". Here I beg to differ. This type of thinking illustrates the lack of understanding most people have about economics. While it is true that housing demand decreases, this does not in and of itself adversely affect the economy because every dollar that was not spent on housing is spent elsewhere. If a young person can't afford housing then the economy would not be helped by them attempting to pay for it. Doing so would force them to either cut back on other expenses ("hurting" the economy) or incur debt (also not helpful to an economy). Economics requires that you look at the whole picture not just one cause and one effect. I know, it seems nit-pick-y but it's an important principle.