Recent data has raised alarms over declining condom use among teenagers in Wales, correlating with a concerning rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs). A significant percentage of 15-year-olds in Wales reported not using condoms during their last sexual encounter—56% of girls and 49% of boys. This trend is reflective of a broader decline in condom usage among young people, as reported by the World Health Organization. The decrease in protective measures is contributing to an alarming increase in STIs, with chlamydia rising by 22%, gonorrhoea by 127%, and syphilis by 14% over the past year.
The C-Card scheme seeks to combat this issue by providing free condoms, lubrication, and dental dams across the UK. Sarah Peart, a prominent advocate for safe sex education, expressed the importance of making condoms accessible and acceptable.
"Condoms are really expensive, so it's a fantastic service to make them accessible, but also acceptable, and not some weird, dark hidden corner of the pub toilets" – Sarah Peart
Despite efforts to promote safe practices, challenges remain. Young people are increasingly influenced by pornography, where condom use is rarely depicted. This cultural shift impacts teenagers' perceptions of sexual health and safety.
"because they're not seeing that in pornography" – Sarah Peart
Peart also highlighted the difficulty in convincing young people that birth control alone isn't enough to protect against STIs.
"It's such a difficult barrier convincing young people that birth control isn't enough, and that you do need to protect yourself from STIs" – Sarah Peart
The situation is compounded by the decline in long-acting reversible contraception use, which has fallen 22% over the last five years. Consequently, terminations have increased by a third within the same period. The lack of positive role models and influencers further complicates sex education efforts, with some young people relying on "natural family planning" as their primary contraceptive method.
"natural family planning" is their main form of contraception" – Sarah Peart
The free "test and post" service by Public Health Wales has made STI testing more accessible, helping to identify infections such as HIV, which can take up to seven weeks to be detected. Hepatitis B and C can take even longer, requiring 12 weeks or more to show up in tests. In contrast, chlamydia and gonorrhoea can appear within two weeks. The accessibility of testing is crucial for early detection and treatment.
Zoe Couzens from Public Health Wales noted that the rise in STIs isn't limited to teenagers but is also reflected in individuals over 40.
"And I'm not putting an upper age on that – we've had a 72-year-old with chlamydia" – Zoe Couzens
Efforts to educate young people about sexual health include addressing the impact of online content. Mason Down pointed out the easy access to pornography might influence young people's attitudes toward condoms.
"There's more of that content online now [porn] so you can easily access it at a young age, which might influence how young people feel about condoms" – Mason Down
Sarah Peart's educational sessions also tackle issues surrounding pornography and OnlyFans, encouraging youths to make informed choices about their sexual health.
"Our sessions also cover pornography and OnlyFans does sometimes come up as a strand of that. We try to educate young people to make their own healthy choices – and hopefully that includes not opening an OnlyFans account, but we can only provide the education" – Sarah Peart
