The lack of proper education has made young people more vulnerable to social media sex myths, according to the YMCA. Amy Stuart-Torrie of the charity’s Healthy Relationships service said she had encountered young individuals who believed that washing following intercourse could prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Stuart-Torrie also mentioned that other misconceptions were that drinking out of bottles made from BPA plastic may prevent pregnancy.
Public Health Wales figures showed chlamydia and gonorrhoea infections have reached a 10-year high, with a majority of cases detected in the 15-24 age group. Since the end of the Coronavirus pandemic, there has been a rise in diagnoses of syphilis and herpes as well. Stuart-Torrie stated that the surge in STIs was “alarming,” but due to the pandemic’s impact on education, there were gaps in knowledge, and “significant chunks of information have been missed.”
Stuart-Torrie said that young men, in particular, demonstrated a casual attitude towards STIs. She had come across multiple misunderstandings, such as the perception of being immune to STIs after getting them once or that infections would go away by themselves. Stuart-Torrie’s service runs the c-card program, allowing 13-25-year-olds to acquire up to ten free condoms every week and receive sexual health and relationship advice.
Stuart-Torrie said that STIs’ discussions were not intended to scare people but instead aimed to inform them and allow them to make informed decisions to keep themselves secure. Dr Darren Cousins, a sexual health consultant in the Cardiff area, stated that the increase in STIs was due to people making up for lost time during the Covid pandemic. He clarified that increased testing and easy availability of free test-at-home kits have resulted in the rise in documented STIs.
Dee Whitnell, a qualified sex educator, agreed with Stuart-Torrie’s stance that peer pressure and embarrassment around sexual health clinic visits had resulted in lesser usage of barrier methods of contraception. Whitnell also claimed that online testing could avoid awkward clinic visits and conversations with strangers. Dr Cousins urged people to get tested at an early stage to reduce the risk of long-term injuries
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