Fewer teens using condoms

Jamaican teenagers are playing a high-stakes game of bedroom roulette, and public health experts are sounding the alarm contraceptive use takes a shocking nose-dive across the island.

Despite sexual activity remaining totally steady, with over 37 per cent of teens admitting they have already lost their virginity, the 2026 Global School-based Student Health Survey has uncovered a new wave of unprotected passion among young people.

Shocking fresh figures reveal that condom use during teens’ last bedroom session has plunged from a safe 65 per cent in 2017 to a 54.7 per cent in 2026.

The report said that if current trends persist, adolescents face a rising risk of STIs and HIV, alongside continued unintended pregnancies that disrupt girls’ education.

In the meantime, fewer adolescents are rushing into sex before turning 14. The report found that 51.7 per cent of teens had first sexual experience before age 14, significantly down from the 76.2 per cent recorded in 2017.

The 2026 survey, conducted by the National Council on Drug Abuse, involved 3,058 students in grades seven to 12 and represents the third time the assessment has been conducted in Jamaica, following surveys in 2010 and 2017