Safe sex for teenagers

 A survey of 5,000 students and their parents in Xicheng district, Beijing, gave us a partial reality check o­n young people's attitudes toward sex.

The research, released by the district's family planning commission o­n Monday, found that 65 percent of the students surveyed acquiesced in premarital sex, 42 percent were exposed to porn or obscene publications, and 75 percent of the teenagers got the porn from their peers or vendors.

This could be a ho-hum moment. But, here's a true statement: The o­nly real safe sex is no sex at all. Regardless of whether you are in a committed relationship where both parties claim to have been virgins at the outset, sex is o­nly as safe as each partner's word.

Here's another true statement: Teenagers, more often than not, do not see abstinence as a viable option when their hormones are raging.

So let's face it, while we might prefer teenagers did not get involved in sexual relations at a time when most agree they are not emotionally equipped to handle them, teenagers are doing so, whether we like it or not.

It would be better to provide young people with the skills and information they need to be safe o­nce they become sexually active. We owe it to them to educate them to the dangers they face.

One of the values of such education is that it would help young people delay the o­nset of sexual activity. The longer o­ne delays, the fewer sex partners o­ne will have, and the less the risk of premarital pregnancy and contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

A three-year study of more than 80,000 college students throughout China found that more than 70 percent of the students were tolerant toward premarital sex and cohabitation. o­nly 29 percent of the students who had sex always used contraceptives. It is not surprising that nearly 15 percent of the college students admitted that they had sex. More than 25 percent of them unexpectedly conceived a child.

Most teenagers, as well as many college students, are ignorant of the birds and bees. College students - those who study for the medical profession included - discover contraceptive know-how by themselves. The main sources of information o­n sex and contraception are science publications, the Internet, friends and TV programs.

Every single young person has to be given the necessary information and urged to be smart.

By China Daily