Condom use is down among sexually active teens and young adults. The decline in condom use is due to a combination of medical advancements like long-term birth control options and drugs that prevent sexually transmitted infections, a fading fear of contracting HIV and widely varying levels of sex ed

Fewer young people are having sex, but the teens and young adults who are sexually active aren’t using condoms as regularly, if at all. And people ages 15 to 24 made up half of new chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis cases in 2022.

The downward trend in condom usage is due to a few things: medical advancements like long-term birth control options and drugs that prevent sexually transmitted infections; a fading fear of contracting HIV; and widely varying degrees of sex education in high schools.

Is this the end of condoms? Not exactly. But it does have some public health experts thinking about how to help younger generations have safe sex, be aware of their options — condoms included — and get tested for STIs regularly.

  • WeirdGoesPro@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    0·
    5 months ago

    Unpopular opinion: the complete lack of anyone addressing reduced sensation that comes with condom use when talking to teens is also a contributing factor. I have literally never been able to have an orgasm with a condom on. The first time I had sex, the girl kept asking me if I was gay because I kept losing my erection to the weird glove like sensation on my dick.

    I ended up tackling this problem by being careful and being in a string of committed relationships, but I thought there was something wrong with me until stories on the internet made it clear that I wasn’t the only one.

    So if I was a modern teen, and knew things could mostly be solved with antibiotics, and had death grip from an adolescence on pornography, AND discovered I couldn’t keep it up when wrapped…then I probably wouldn’t use them either.

    • eldavi@lemmy.ml
      0·
      5 months ago

      it’s lack of sensation for me since i’m uncircumcised and the 2 layers when i wear a condom guarantees no sensation.

      i suspect that you don’t hear much about this subject because it’s the Achilles heals of condoms where nothing will help it and people don’t engage unless they think they have something that can help.