Youth and sexuality: only 8% have a dialogue on the subject with their parents

Little awareness of the risks and an increasingly precocious approach to sexuality. Also returns in 2022 – on the occasion of World AIDS Day – theObservatory Youth and sexuality conducted by Durex together with Skuola.net. An investigation carried out on 15 thousand young people between 11 and 24 years old with the aim of investigating the relationship of preteens, adolescents and young adults with sexuality And affectivity. On the other hand, the Reckitt condom brand has always been involved in a path of education and help on the issues of emotional and sexual well-being.

What emerges from the questions addressed to young people? Not too comforting, to be honest. For example, 34% of the young people surveyed say they have had the first sexual intercourse between the ages of 15 and 16but there are also those who claim to have had their first experience before the age of 13 (8%), an increase compared to the past. The data becomes even more significant when analyzing the behavior of non-binaries, with 28.5% of those interviewed declaring that they had had their first relationship between the ages of 11 and 12.

In this context, the worrying element is that such an early approach is accompanied by little-aware and very often risky behaviours: among the interviewees, in fact, less than one in two young people (46%) always use a condom. Also in this case the figure is decreasing: in 2018 it stood at 57%. Also, speaking of contraception, when asked about using the coitus interruptus over 35% consider it an effective method against unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections, with the highest percentages among very young people aged 11-13. In fact, awareness of the ineffectiveness of coitus interruptus seems (and fortunately) to grow with age, although this is not a deterrent to resorting to it.

As a logical consequence and at the same time as a contributing cause of these choices, young people they do little prevention and even less screening: 64% of respondents are not in fact never turned to specialists (gynecologists or andrologists). Among males, the percentage is even higher: as many as 73% explain that they have never crossed the threshold of a specialist in conditions affecting the male sexual and reproductive sphere. Embarrassment, social stigma or just little knowledge?

The situation is then further aggravated by the little confrontation and dialogue with parents. In fact, the family is not a reference for these topics (only 8% go home, with percentages decreasing in the last three years): 47% say they consult the internet to clarify doubts in the emotional and sexual sphere (and not only that, of course) and most of them do so either because they are embarrassed to ask someone or because he doesn’t know who to turn to. The risk, of course, is to expose yourself to fake news, wrong and misleading information or to fall into pornography. Just 6% talk to the doctor and 4% seek help in the almost disappeared clinics. 12% ask for advice from friends or simply do not ask anyone, with the percentage of the latter rising significantly in the younger range between 11 and 13 years.

The Observatory also offers a pars construens: faced with this complicated and at times worrying scenario, what could be the measures to be introduced? L’emotional and sexual education turns out to be certainly the main one: according to Durex it is «an important tool in order to stem the side effects of an increasingly unaware approach to sexuality due to a scarce or absent education and devoid of that dialogue that educators, experts and parents should promote in towards the young and very young”.

However, sex education in schools is scarce: just over half of the students involved (53%) say they have talked about sexuality, contraception and prevention at school and 35% of these basically explain that they have heard “things that already He knew”. Only in 18% of cases meetings and lessons were very useful and for about the other half of students (47% overall) these topics have remained completely out of the classroom. Yet, young people have very clear needs and, in 51% of cases, they would like compulsory sex education in schools, 43% would make it optional and only 6% are against it. gender identity And sexual are the aspects they would like to discuss more fully.

Yet sex education, despite being so absent from classrooms, is needed: data from the Durex Observatory explain that among those who spoke about sexuality at school there is greater awareness of sexually transmitted infections and the effectiveness of condoms as a prevention tool. Just as the knowledge of other contraceptive methods is higher, such as coitus interruptus, less used and considered ineffective precisely by those who have had the good fortune to deal with the topic within the school curriculum.

“These results offer fundamental elements for reflection in order to increase awareness of the risks related to the lack of emotional and sexual education and to direct the daily commitment to providing the younger generations with the tools necessary to make informed and informed choices – the experts explain of Durex – to do this it is necessary increasingly promote an open dialogue with families, educators, experts and institutions by challenging taboos and prejudicesas well as increasing education, information and awareness interventions, starting from the school context, to health, prevention, emotions and mutual respect, spreading the culture of the condom as an act of love towards oneself and others and helping young people today to face their emotional life with serenity and to become sexually aware and healthy adults».

Durex’s commitment to Anlaids

On the occasion of World Aids Day Durex continues the campaign on these issues under the umbrella of «With Lights On», the program designed to spread the culture of protected, aware and free sexuality, especially among young people who, as emerges from the numbers just presented, today represent the group most exposed to disinformation and risky behaviour.

Durex also confirms the renewal of the collaboration with Anlaidsthe first and historic association in Italy for the fight against AIDS, with a donation in economic terms and free condoms to be distributed at their centers. Furthermore, on the occasion of the December 1st episode of X-Factor, of which the brand is a partner, the judges will wear the red bow, the historic symbol of World Aids Day and will launch an awareness appeal on the subject.

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