More Teen Boys Are Using Condoms Than Ever

Good news for parents concerned about the safe sex practices of their sons.  More teenage boys are stepping up and using condoms as a sole means of contraception according to a recent survey.

Msnbc reports that 80% of teenage boys surveyed by the National Survey of Family Growth used a condom the first time that they had sex, which is up nine percentage points from 2002. All thanks to good parenting, I say.  In other good news, the teen birth rate is down but in the United States, we still have double the amount of teen moms as Canada. So obviously, there is room for improvement.

James Trussell, who directs Princeton University’s Office of Population Research, says that these new findings aren’t much to be proud of and that we still need more sex education to keep kids out of the dark. He says that although we are seeing more girls on hormonal birth control, we need to see more teenage girls with IUDs. He told msnbc:

“…Until we get much greater fractions of women, including teens, using IUDs and implants, we are not going to see huge reductions in unintended pregnancies.”

He adds that maintaining abstinence-only education doesn’t slim down the chances of kids having sex, but  slims down the chance of them using contraception.

The findings also show strong links between the age when a minor first has sex and social, family, and educational status, suggesting that sex education should begin early — like junior high. The survey also revealed that younger girls who first have sex with older boys are less likely to use contraception than girls who sleep with boys their own age.

Trussell concluded that teaching children of both sexes about consent and rape is also an important part of sex education. Damn right, it is.

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