Millennials have been significant players in the rise of the sharing economy, but an alarming new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates a new type of sharing amongst Generation Y is on the rise as well: Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
According to the CDC, a number of STIs have risen dramatically among young people since 2014 including chlamydia (increased nearly 6 percent) gonorrhea (increased nearly 13 percent) and syphilis (increased 19 percent). Researchers say that nearly half of the almost 20 million new STIs that occur every year are in people between the ages of 15 and 24.
Experts from the CDC say that a major factor in the uptick of STIs among young people is that millennials are not wearing condoms. Last year, the CDC reported a significant decrease in the number of high schoolers practicing safe sex. According to a 2015 analysis, researchers found that that the percentage of sexually active high school students that used condoms decreased from 63 percent in 2003 to 57 percent in 2015. A separated study conducted last year by the condom manufacturer Skyn found that nearly 50 percent of millennials use condoms “never” or “rarely.”
According to one millennial, condoms take away some of the enjoyment from sex.
“They’re really constricting,” said Nick, a 31-year-old who was recently interviewed by the New York Post. “All of them seem to fit differently, it doesn’t really feel organic, and they’re just generally unsexy.”
Abby Norman, a 25-year-old who considers herself to be careful when it comes to sexual health, believes that there is a “culture of chill” that has developed amongst millennials when it comes to safe sex.
“I’ve gotten teased by my partners and my peers, and my diligence has been seen as being a bit intense,” said Norman. “I feel like there’s a culture of ‘chill,’ or not wanting to be perceived as intense.”
