Young people’s views on protected/unprotected sex

Abstract

The study examines young people’s views on protected and unprotected sex. It also focuses on their perspectives regarding the consequences related to unprotected sex, such as pregnancy and the contraction of sexually acquired infections. The study focuses on young people’s awareness of the limitations of contraception and the importance of information about protection as well as its accessibility amongst young people. The participants were also asked to mention what they think about how other young people regard protection. The data was collected by means of an interview with seven young people from different backgrounds aged between 23 and 30 years of age. In general, the findings show that the informants know the consequences of unprotected sex. They also believe that many young people are not aware of the consequences attached to risky sexual behaviour, especially young teenagers, whom they generally described as immature and being more prone to engaging in unprotected sex. The informants held that age plays a significant part in this issue. Some of the participants thought that pregnancy is more worrisome to girls than to boys, as females seem to carry the responsibility of the child more than males. Peer pressure and parental influence are also mentioned as possible reasons, which could motivate young people to use protection. The findings highlight the importance of protection and recommends that there should be more awareness on its importance through various channels, especially the local media and national television, which could be influential in addressing this issue in the native language. School is also mentioned as the place where young people start learning about sexuality, and it is recommended that lessons about protection should start early, because nowadays young people are engaging in sexual activities earlier than before.