Condom use is down sharply among teenagers

Despite strong prevention in high schools on the importance of having protected sex in order to avoid contracting STDs or STIs, it seems that condoms are no longer in vogue among young people. This is indicated by a recently published report by the World Health Organization, says Vice.

“Sex education remains flawed in many countries”

The study surveyed 242,000 15-year-olds in 42 countries between 2004 and 2022. It found that condom use among sexually active teens fell from 70% to 61% for boys and from 63% to 57% for girls. The country with the biggest decline was the UK, with Scotland and Wales the most significant regions. The report also found that a third of teenage men in Europe flatly refuse to use a condom.

Other studies conducted in the United States confirm this observation: in the country, the number of high school students using protection has decreased, from 63% in 2003 to 54% in 2019. While the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recently stated that sexual relations between adolescents in the United States were downthe WHO today contradicts these data, estimating that adolescent sexual activity has remained stable, but that condom use has considerably decreased.

A worrying observation for Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe: “Unfortunately, sex education remains deficient in many countries, and when it is not, it is sometimes adolescents who are resistant to these educational programs.” He continues: “Sex education does not lead to an increase in sexual activity, but rather to more intelligent sexual activity.”