Rising use of condoms at first sex among teens

NEW DELHI: Today's teenagers are more smarter than their grandparents as far as sex is concerned with the use of contraceptives going up by at least eight times, a new survey has said.
 
The age for "first sex" might have dipped to 16 years, but girls are more cautious than boys, said the survey done by Durex Network, a social marketing arm of Durex manufacturers SSL International, one of the leading manufacturers of condoms
in the world.
 
The 2007 Face of Global Sex Report also said that pressure to have sex, alcohol and fear of risks of Sexually Transmitted Diseases or pregnancy do not appear to have any
influence on contraceptive use at first sex.
 
"Teenagers between the ages of 16 to 19 years having first sex are at least eight times more likely to have used contraception for their sexual debut than were people now aged 65 years or over," the report said.
 
But it also said that though boys and girls use condoms during their initial days, they stop using it as they grow up.
 
It found that those who talk openly about sex and sexual health with their parents, other family members or with their partners are more likely to use contraception.
 
"Women are 25 per cent more likely than men to take precautions when they lose their virginity. This is also true for people who have spent some time at college compared to
those who are less well-educated," it said.