2023-10-27 14:24:00
The age of first sexual intercourse is growing: 38.7% of young people declare having had it between 17 and 18 years old – an increase compared to 2022, when the predominant age group was 15-16 years old – but there are also those who report of having had their first experience before the age of 13 (11.6%), up 4.1% compared to last year. Less than one young person in two (43.4%) always uses a condom, which appears even more worrying when compared with past results, highlighting a constant decrease from 57% in 2019. The 11-13 year age group is the one that worries more, with 55.6% declaring that they do not use any contraceptive method.
The survey on young people and sex
It is the photograph taken by the Durex ‘Youth and Sexuality’ Observatory in collaboration with Skuola.net, which reached its sixth edition in 2023, which reflects an increasingly complex reality – we read in a note – which makes evident an approach of young people are very often unaware of the issues of sexuality and affectivity, based on sometimes incorrect knowledge and confusing information which leads to risky behavior for themselves and others. However, the demand for sexuality education programs is growing. More than 15 thousand young people between 11 and 24 years old took part in the research, carried out with the support of EbiCo – a non-profit social cooperative recognized as an academic spin-off of the University of Florence.
Speaking of contraception, 62.5% of those interviewed declare that they rely on coitus interruptus and over 39.3% (+3.6% compared to 2022) mistakenly define it as an effective method against unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections, with the highest percentages among very young people aged 11-13. Indeed, awareness of the ineffectiveness of coitus interruptus seems to grow with age, although this is not a deterrent to its use. The situation is then further aggravated – continues the note – by the lack of discussion and dialogue, at school and in the family. Young people, in fact, do not seem to feel at ease in addressing this issue at home: 45.3% go on the Internet to clarify doubts in the emotional and sexual sphere and among these, the majority do so out of embarrassment at asking to someone (31.6%) and because they don’t know who to turn to (12.8%), with the risk of exposing themselves to fake news, wrong and misleading information.
Almost no one asks parents and doctors for advice
Only 9.3% turn to their parents – with percentages decreasing in the last 3 years – 5.9% to the doctor, 12% ask for help from friends or, simply, do not ask anyone to clarify doubts on sexual matters, with the percentage of the latter rising significantly to 20.3% in the youngest group between 11 and 13 years old. The reasons for this silence and closure lie in the embarrassment and shame that young people say they feel in asking or talking to someone about these issues, as well as in the lack – culturally typical of our country – in terms of education and communication on these themes. In this regard, 93.7% of those interviewed believe that sexuality and affectivity education should be offered as a subject in the school curriculum.
In light of these data and recent news events, Durex, leader in the sexual well-being market – continues the note – aims to reach 23 thousand students in Lombardy, supporting the affective and sexual education program ‘A luci accese’, organized by the association Ala Milano Onlus and sponsored by the Municipality of Milan. The initiative has the dual objective of laying the foundations for ‘healthy’ relationships, based on respect, consent and self-knowledge, and of providing clear and correct information regarding the sphere of sexuality, developing new awareness relating to sexually transmitted infections and to prevention, particularly in the benefits of using condoms.
Each of the participating schools will have access to emotional and sexual education workshops, conferences and meetings with experts, teachers, parents and school staff, with moments dedicated to feedback and feedback at the end of the activities and with the administration of a pre- and post-intervention questionnaire , in order to evaluate the knowledge acquired and satisfaction with the topics covered. On these occasions – concludes the note – interactive activities will also be proposed (games, quizzes, role playing, debates, etc.) and moments of reflection and sharing in small and large groups, as well as guaranteeing a non-judgmental listening space that facilitates the emergence of personal questions and experiences.
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