DadTalk

More young people having unsafe sex

The proportion of young people admitting to having had unprotected sex with a new partner has risen over the past two years, according to a study.

A study of British 16-to-19-year-olds has shown 61% have had sex, with 43% of those who were sexually active admitting to having had sex with a new partner without using contraception compared with 36% in 2009.

Of those who admitted having had unprotected sex with a new partner, 23% said they had done so because their partner did not like using contraception, while 15% said they had been drunk and forgot.

The proportion of girls and young women who said they had a close friend or family member who had an unplanned pregnancy rose from 36% in 2009 to 55% this year.

Only 55% said they considered themselves to be very well-informed about all contraceptive options available compared with 62% of boys and young men, according to the study.

A total of 16% of both sexes said they believed the "withdrawal method" was an effective form of contraception.

Nearly one in five girls and young women – 19% – and 16% of boys and young men said they did not receive any kind of sex education at school, with 16% of both sexes saying they did not trust their teachers to provide accurate and unbiased information about contraceptive choices.

Read the rest of the article from The Guardian.