Is it true teens won't use condoms the way adults use them?

Second question first: Correct and consistent condom use is a highly effective way to prevent the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.external link, opens in a new tab

1. As for teens and condoms there are a few issues at hand, and most of them can be remedied with the right education and information.
2. Teens sometimes have trouble obtaining condoms because they don’t know where to get them, can’t get to the stores or clinics to get them or mistakenly believe they have to be 18 to buy them (anybody can buy them at any age!).
3. Some teens don’t know how to use a condom⁠ (condom: A thin sheath or tube of latex or another material, worn over the penis during sex to prevent or reduce the risk of pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted infections.) correctly. But we have that covered at: Condom Basics: A User’s Manual.
4. Some teens are too shy or too scared to ask their partners to always use a condom. These teens don’t know how to effectively communicate with their partners. But this article can help with that: Be a Blabbermouth! The Whats, Whys and Hows of Talking About Sex With a Partner
5. Some teens are in abusive relationships where they don’t have the option of using a condom. These teens need to be helped through counseling and possibly law enforcement means.

That pretty much sums up why some teens don’t use condoms or don’t use them correctly. These things also sometimes apply to adults⁠ (adults: People whose age in years exceeds the legal age of majority, people considered to be adults by law, or people who a culture or individual considers to have reached an adult stage of life.) . A lot of adults don’t use condoms or contraception⁠ (contraception: Devices, medications or behaviors used to intentionally aim to prevent pregnancy, including the condom, the cervical barrier, the implant, the patch, the pill, the rhythm method, the ring, the shot, the IUD, spermicide and withdrawal.) correctly, either.

For lots of great information about safety and how to bring safer sex⁠ (safer sex: Practices which aim to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections, such as use of latex/nonlatex barriers, regular testing for infections and limiting the number of sexual partners.) into your relationships, check out⁠ (out: Short for ‘out of the closet’. When someone’s LGBTQ+ identity is known to other people.) Safe, Sound & Sexy: A Safer Sex How-To

Learn more about HIV⁠ (HIV: A virus that attacks cells of the immune system, weakening the body’s ability to fight infections and diseases.) with Positively Informed: An HIV/AIDS Roundup