When it comes to having sex -and certainly if it’s the first time- talking with someone about it is vital. Even if a lot of people still see sex as a taboo, Flemish sexual health organization Sensoa says that parents, teachers and others are more likely to talk about it with teenagers these days. Which could be a result of recent campaigns that draw attention to sex- including many that were created by Designers against AIDS. By talking about sex more openly, youngsters are less afraid to say ‘no’ when they feel like they’re not ready for their first time.
Besides the fact that sex is more easy to talk about now, lately there are more young students with a conservative background, which is another reason that fewer young people have sex before the age of 15. Research of UGent and Agentschap Zorg&Gezondheid indicates that only 2.8% of girls and 5.6% of boys have sex before turning 15, which is almost half of the percentage of four years ago. Furthermore, around 75% uses a condom the first time they're having sex. Since we feel that talking about sex is more than OK, we are very delighted to hear all of this!
