Much like many of our habits, sex (the ins, the outs, and the roundabouts) is also prone to change over time. And over the past few decades, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and University College London (UCL) have been keeping tabs on what heterosexual 16-24 years old’s have been getting up to in the bedroom.
They found an apparent ‘diversification’ of sexual activities and experiences within the age bracket, which in other words means that young people are moving away from ‘traditional’ sexual practices and leaning more towards the so-called ‘taboo’.
More and more youngsters are reporting that they’ve sexted, sent nudes or experimented with same sex partners or multiple partners at one time within the past year alone. On top of this, the study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, also uncovered a notable rise in the prevalence of anal sex amongst straight, young people too. Who'd have thunk?
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According to the data, only a small 1 in 10 respondents admitted to having anal sex in the 12 months in between the years of 1990-1991. Compare that with the 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women between 2011 and 2012 and it’s clear that millenials are definitely ermm… braver than their predecessors. Or, at the very least, more honest.
Unsurprisingly, pornography and its increase in pervasiveness and extremity has been blamed as one of the reasons for the shift. The TelegraphThe Telegraph [reported that]{href='http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/11/20/sex-education-needs-graphic-teens-trying-taboo-practices-say/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}, alongside porn, other factors such as the prevalence of sexual content in mainstream media and a decrease in societal stigma towards certain sexual activities have also been listed as contributing factors too.
Academics believe that it’s within the best interests of the government and young people alike to adapt the ways in which Sex Ed’ or Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) is taught in schools, in order to remain relevant to the realities of young people today.
Dr Ruth Lewis, a research professor at LSHTM and the lead author of the study said: 'Our study highlights the need for accurate sex and relationships education that provides opportunities to discuss consent and safety in relation to a range of sexual practices. This will equip young people with the information and skills they need to maximise their wellbeing from the outset of their sexual lives.'
SRE has been a long debated topic within UK government policy with strong opinions being presented by both those for and against. Age appropriate SRE was only made a compulsory subject in council run schools earlier this year, so as of now, it remains unclear as to whether or not the government will begin to alter its curriculum in line with the advise provided by the study.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.