Sexual exploration is the main thing that makes
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For young people, sex is a big, big playground full of
surprises. A mass of factors can influence a young person's sexual behaviour.
Family situation, peer pressure, the way you look, hormones. Social, economic,
ethnic and religious considerations. Where you live or go to school. Dreams,
expectations, insecurities. Straight, gay or dunno. Single or hitched.
It's all new. It's all up for grabs or heading for a fall.
For many teenagers, the concept of 'sexual health' is meaningless. For
this very reason, the Department of Health will shortly unveil a mass
media Safer Sex campaign aimed at young people.
photo: nikki kastner (posed by models)
Although there is dispute about the statistics surrounding
STI infection in teenagers, the figures collected by the Public Health
Laboratory Service say that diagnoses of the most common STIs more than
doubled for 16-19 year olds between 1995 and 2000 - especially in young
women. Chlamydia increased from 410 cases a year per 100,000 teenage girls
to 960. It is rumoured that the government's campaign will say there's
a one in nine chance of getting an STI.
The Shag Game
"Oh no! I don't think I've ever seen a government mass media campaign that hits the spot," reacts Neil Almond, who runs K-Generation. K-Generation, also known as Kikass
