Between 2014 and 2022, the percentage of young Europeans who used a condom during their last sexual intercourse decreased: from 70 % to 61 % among boys, and from 63 % to 57 % among girls.
Unprotected Sexual Intercourse
In France, among sexually active 15-year-old adolescents in 2022, 30% of boys and girls did not use a condom during their last intercourse. According to a WHO report, condom use has thus fallen significantly over the last ten years, with proportions of unprotected intercourse deemed "worrying".
The observation is there: adolescents seem to resort less and less to condoms, often due to lack of information. The testimonies collected by AFP support this. Lucas, 19, a student in audiovisual BTS, had his first sexual intercourse last year. The day after this first experience, he did not feel reassured and looked for information on the potential risks on the internet. Yohann, another high school student, also remembers his first sexual intercourse: "I was 15, I put on a condom, but it stopped me from getting an erection, so I took it off."
"Taboo subject"
For many young people, sexuality remains a "taboo subject". Yohann notes that, while AIDS was once a central concern, this is no longer the case today. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) seem less frightening, because they are no longer perceived as deadly. Fear of AIDS has diminished. Since the early 2000s, bacterial STIs have started to increase again in the West, after a 20-year decline due to fear of AIDS.
Experts like Sarah Durocher, president of the Family Planning Association, deplore the lack of sex education. Although education on emotional and sexual life has been mandatory for over twenty years, it is still rarely taught. Last March, a first draft of a school program dedicated to this subject was published, but its application remains uncertain.
Vigilance against STIs
According to Saphia Guereschi, a school nurse, other obstacles persist: although access to condoms is easier (free and without a prescription for those under 26 since January 2023), young people are taking more risks in reaction to a society perceived as anxiety-provoking. However, it is essential to remember the importance of protecting yourself.
In France, since September 2020, people under 26 can get free screening for four STIs, in addition to HIV, for which screening is already reimbursed. Florence Thune, CEO of Sidaction, welcomes this initiative, but stresses that there is a lack of a broad information campaign on the overall prevention of STIs.
According to an Ifop survey, only 36 % of young people aged 15-25 say they systematically use condoms, and only a third use them after screening tests. Protection tools exist, but information on all aspects of prevention is lacking.
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