{"id":3111,"date":"2025-06-01T19:48:46","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T17:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T15:29:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T14:29:10","slug":"teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend\/","title":{"rendered":"Teen sexuality is changing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adolescent sexuality: the current situation.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Adolescent sexuality is a complex subject in constant evolution, as confirmed by numerous scientific studies. According to the Contexte des sexualit\u00e9s en France 2023 (CSF-2023) survey of over 20,000 adults conducted by Inserm, teenage sexuality is undergoing a number of significant changes, such as a later onset of sexuality, freer speech, less well-protected sex and the emergence of digital violence. <\/p>\n

Concordant studies<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

According to Nathalie Bajos, sociologist and director of research at Inserm in Paris, the results of the CSF-2023 survey are echoed in other studies carried out among teenagers, such as the national survey of teenagers in secondary schools on health and substances (EnCLASS), and the Vie affective et violences sexuelles \u00e0 l’adolescence (Vavisa) study. These studies all point to a later onset of sexuality, a diversification of practices and a growing use of digital sexuality. What’s more, teenagers are also more inclined to declare an attraction or feelings of love towards people of the same sex or both sexes. <\/p>\n

Changing behaviors<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The results of the EnCLASS survey also show a drop in the proportion of teenagers having had sex between 2010 and 2022, as well as a decline in condom use at college. In addition, the CSF-2023 survey reveals that only half of young women protect themselves when having sex with a new partner for the first time, despite an increase in the rate of sexually transmitted infections. These risky behaviors may also be linked to insufficient use of contraception, as shown by the shift away from the pill towards other methods of contraception. <\/p>\n

The results of the survey <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to health risks, the CSF-2023 survey also highlights an increase in reports of sexual violence among teenagers. According to Emmanuelle Godeau, coordinator of the EnCLASS survey, this increase can be explained by a better ability to qualify such violence, and a greater facility in evoking it in the context of research. However, the Vavisa survey, carried out among vulnerable young people aged 15 to 21, confirms these worrying results, with a third of participants having already had a sexual experience without wanting to, and almost 70% having already watched pornography. What’s more, a quarter of the participants had been victims of cyber-violence, such as insults or unwanted sexual images. <\/p>\n

Effective educational programs<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

According to Fabienne El Khoury, epidemiologist and researcher at Inserm, educational programs such as the one to be reinforced at the start of the new school year on education for emotional life, relationships and sexuality, are effective in limiting violence and promoting respect and equality. However, these programs need to be implemented on a long-term basis to achieve concrete results. <\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In conclusion, studies carried out on teenage sexuality show a change in behavior and practices, as well as an increase in sexual violence. However, effective educational programs can help limit these risks and promote healthier, more respectful sexuality. It is therefore essential to pursue research and implement prevention initiatives tailored to the needs of teenagers. <\/p>\n

Sources :<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Nathalie Bajos is a sociologist and Inserm research director at the Institut de recherche interdisciplinaire sur les enjeux sociaux (Unit 997 Inserm\/CNRS\/EHESS\/Sorbonne Paris Nord University), Paris.<\/em><\/p>\n

Emmanuelle Godeau is a research professor at the \u00c9cole des Hautes \u00c9tudes en Sant\u00e9 Publique and the Centre d’Epid\u00e9miologie et de Recherche en Sant\u00e9 des Populations de Toulouse (Inserm\/University of Toulouse Unit 1295).<\/em><\/p>\n

Fabienne El Khoury is an epidemiologist and researcher at the Institut Pierre-Louis d’Epid\u00e9miologie et de Sant\u00e9 Publique (Inserm\/Sorbonne University Unit 1136) in Paris.<\/em><\/p>\n

This article has been adapted from content published by Inserm. Find the source article and all references on the Inserm website. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adolescent sexuality: the current situation. Adolescent sexuality is a complex subject in constant evolution, as confirmed by numerous scientific studies. According to the Contexte des sexualit\u00e9s en France 2023 (CSF-2023) survey of over 20,000 adults conducted by Inserm, teenage sexuality is undergoing a number of significant changes, such as a later onset of sexuality, freer … Continue reading “Teen sexuality is changing”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-news"],"yoast_head":"\nThe changing face of teen sexuality<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Adolescent sexuality: Studies on adolescent sexuality show a considerable evolution\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The changing face of teen sexuality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Adolescent sexuality: Studies on adolescent sexuality show a considerable evolution\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Inserm Fondation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-01T17:48:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-14T14:29:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/secualite-ado-.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1333\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend\/\",\"name\":\"The changing face of teen sexuality\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/secualite-ado-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-01T17:48:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-14T14:29:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/e35ca7b388aa631208286ec9e2c17cb2\"},\"description\":\"Adolescent sexuality: Studies on adolescent sexuality show a considerable evolution\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/en\/teenage-sexuality-not-a-reassuring-trend\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/secualite-ado-.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fondation-inserm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/secualite-ado-.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1333,\"caption\":\"Lovely couple in a summer park. 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