British teenagers increasingly prefer watching TV or spending time with their families to pursuing sexual relationships, according to a new survey.
A survey of 1,000 people aged between 16 and 18 revealed that two thirds of respondents had not had sex - and that many rarely saw friends or romantic interests in real life.
One in five (22%) said they see their friends outside of work and school less than once a month, while 21% of those in relationships see their partner less than once a week.
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“Young people were also more likely to view time with their family as of higher importance than time with their friends,” says the BBC.
As well as a scarcity of opportunity to form sexual relationships, many respondents reported a diminished interest in doing so, preferring other forms of entertainment such as going online, watching TV or spending time with family.
“At the moment, sex isn’t a big interest for me,” one teen told researcher from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), which carried out the survey. “I love having a hot bath, a glass of wine, and a book,” said another.
These may sound more like the “words of busy working parents who relax with Radox and rose on a Friday night”, says BPAS media chief Katherine O’Brien, writing in the i newspaper, but teenagers’ lack of preoccupation with their sex lives may have had at least one positive result.
BPAS says the findings may “partially explain” why teenage pregnancy levels in the UK have plunged to their lowest levels since records began, says The Independent.
According to the most recent data from the Office for National Statistics, as of 2016 there were 18.9 conceptions per thousand women aged 15 to 17, compared to 47.1 per thousand in 1969.
The survey also found that young people are less prone to binge drinking - associated with higher rates of sexual activity - than past generations. In fact, just under a quarter said they had never drunk alcohol. In addition, more than 80% said that doing well in exams was a top priority.
“The behaviours that are associated with engaging in sexual activity are just not playing a significant role in many young people’s lives,” says O’Brien.
The evidence suggests that Britain’s young people are driving down teen pregnancy rates simply “through their own behaviours, choices, and outlook”.
