Is it time to bring back the well-known slogans of ‘Wrap before you tap’ or ‘Wrap the willy before getting silly’?
Is it time to bring back the well-known slogans of ‘Wrap before you tap’ or ‘Wrap the willy before getting silly’? Based on figures from the 2022 survey in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) published in 2024, it would appear so.
The survey points out that an alarming number of young adults don’t use contraceptives on a daily basis, especially accentuating the decline in condom use since 2014. It was reported that 30% of girls and 31% of boys from the 242,000 adolescents surveyed didn’t use any sort of preventive measure during their last sexual encounter. The proportion of sexually active adolescents who used a condom at last intercourse fell from 70% to 61% among boys and 63% to 57% among girls between 2014 and 2022. This is a 7.5% decline. In Ireland, only 50% of boys and 49% of girls reported condom use and 35% of girls and 38% of boys had no protection at last intercourse.
It is vital to combat these high percentages with education, effective information, measures and campaigns. The report called for European policymakers to create space for open dialogue as well as fund training for teachers.
Numbers do not change drastically so it is safe to assume that Ireland is averaging the same percentage. The survey is taken every four years, and it would be beneficial for the 2028 results to be more safe sex positive.
Nevertheless, one cannot deny that these statistics highlight that there are still many gaps to be filled in relation to the topic of sexual education. A south Dublin all-boy school alumni commented that the “using protection was talked about but never to a degree that would stick with students.” He also pointed out that the biological aspect of sex was covered extensively but “not so much the social aspects.” He also stated that, “We had no talks sex-related whatsoever in 5th to 6th year, when it starts to matter most.”
All Irish school goers will be familiar with the subject SPHE, which stands for Social, Personal and Health Education. The compulsory hour solely in the junior curriculum was, generally speaking, treated as a free class, and undoubtedly not enough to educate a bunch of teenagers on such a vast topic, which encompasses our whole life. There’s still a stigma around sex, especially due to Ireland’s religious history. Schools are not equipped enough to provide a safe space for conversation. In a school classroom, a demonstration of putting a condom on a banana, which we have seen during SHAG week would send everyone into fits of giggles most likely disguised as embarrassment.
On a more personal note, my all-girls Catholic school was following the curriculum but still tried their best. However, it was a once-off exception. My class was visited by a midwife, who was open to questions and gave us information that we would not have gathered from SPHE lessons. The only knowledge I gained from the state-mandated subject was a good sum about sexually transmitted infections like AIDS or chlamydia – more their representations as angry little monsters than information of importance such as prevention, symptoms or next steps. The significance of condoms was overshadowed by the adoring reaction to the cartoon creatures. Sex education in schools requires serious revision, and an increased duration, rather than stopping in 4th year.
This is not to say that changes are not happening as Ireland continues their “ongoing commitment to improving our sexual health and wellbeing”. In recent years, the topic of sex has been discussed more openly, and many policies have been put in place such as the free contraception initiative for young women aged 17 to 35, along with the national condom distribution service.
Moreover, in June of this year the Department of Health released ‘The National Health Strategy 2025-2035'. This is an in-depth overview of the effects of past implemented policies as well as planned future steps. Third level educations including UCD avail of the free distribution of condoms and lubricants. Since its establishment in 2018, the service continues to grow and in 2024 alone 1.2 million condoms and around 800,000 lubricant sachets were distributed. Of those around 480,000 condoms and 155,00 lubricants were ordered by third level educations, the second largest organisation type after NGOs. The report states that it will continue to extend the service to match population needs, making it even more accessible. This is a good start in combatting unsafe sex in third level education.
UCDSU spends a copious amount of energy and resources on making sure that “students equip themselves with the skills and knowhow to engage with sex at an enjoyable, safe, and consensual level”, as stated last year by 24/25 UCDSU Welfare Officer Ciara Donohue. The preservatives can be found in various fresher goodie bags all the way to Glenomena corridors. Furthermore, consent is reiterated and free dialogue around sex is encouraged.
Overall, as much as the article is centered around the importance of condoms and a safe place for discussion, other topics as queer sex education, comfortability and confidence in sex and talks about consent should be further reiterated in primary, secondary and third-level education. More reforms are incoming, and I hope to see more flourishing measures and improved school curriculums promoting the different topics. Additionally, as negative as the recent survey percentages indicate, the national health strategy, alongside UCD’s involvement in destigmatising sex, the prediction for the 2028 results looks brighter.
On a closing note, wrap before you tap folks!