A study has found that teenagers who are not embarrassed about sending sexual texts are far more likely to protect their sexual wellness and wellbeing. Researchers said that using technology is a great way to get teenagers talking about potentially embarrassing topics, such as their sexual health. Teenagers who sent text messages about condoms were around four times more likely to have protected sex than those who did not, according to the study.
In addition, the study found that students who used technology to talk about sexual limits or pregnancy were doubly likely to use a condom when they had sex. This also applied when high school students talk about another form of birth control rather than condoms.
The study’s lead author uses the data to point out that not all use of technology is harmful. Most of the media attention points towards the risks and harms associated with technology use (for example, sexting) but in this case students who used their electronic tools to discuss sexual health were actually better prepared for real life scenarios.
Researchers think that it may be that technology allows teenagers to talk about subjects that would be embarrassing or awkward face to face.
The study was carried out on a group of 176 high school teenagers. Of the group 64 claimed to be sexually active, with more than half of them admitting that they consistently failed to use a condom.
These numbers, whilst shocking, are actually in line with statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reports that 47 percent of U.S. high school students are having sex, and 40 percent are not using condoms.
Unsurprisingly, this leads to a very high teen pregnancy rate. If talking about condom use via text or IM on their mobile phones helps teens to take better precautions, then it is something to be celebrated.
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