Binders, pens and notebooks are staples on most high schoolers’ back-to-school shopping lists, but there’s another item parents should seriously consider: condoms.
Condoms may seem like a shocking addition to the checklist, but they shouldn’t be. According to the latest CDC data, more than half of young people aged 15–24 accounted for nearly 20 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported in 2020.
So it’s worth asking: As millions of high school kids return to school this fall, what will their access to safer sex supplies and contraception look like?
Distributing condoms is part of my job, and I field regular condom requests from people who are worried about being able to get contraception when they need it. Parents often reach out to me to request condoms for their teenage kids and their kids’ friends. They worry that their children won’t have access to free contraception elsewhere and that the cost and social awkwardness of purchasing condoms may dissuade the kids from doing so. Parents have reason to be concerned — the CDC found in 2021 that 48 percent of U.S. high school students surveyed had not used a condom the last time they had sex.
Many parents who request condoms report wanting to ensure that their kids have the information and resources they need to choose to have safer sex. In 2018, the CDC found that 1 in 5 people in the United States had an STI. In 2020 young people aged 15-24 accounted for 53 percent of new STIs in the United States. Readily available and affordable contraception, especially condoms, is an essential measure to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STIs.
Challenges and Efforts in Implementing Condom Availability Programs
Condom availability programs (CAPs) have been encouraged by the CDC since the 1990s to provide free condoms in high schools. But those programs rely on individual schools and school districts starting and running their own programs, resulting in uneven implementation.
In many states, schools don’t provide sex education to students. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, only about half of teens aged 15-19 reported that they had received sex education that meets the minimum standard. This is concerning given that 96 percent of parents believe it’s important to teach sex education in high school, and 84 percent want it taught in middle school.
And even schools that want to provide condoms may not have the funding to do so. Two-thirds of K-12 school health workers say that their schools or districts don’t provide students with any form of contraception, including condoms. This leaves many parents trying to fill in the gaps.
A few legislative efforts to provide condoms in schools are in the works. Last year a bill to make condoms freely available to all public high school students in California passed the state legislature, only to be vetoed by the governor over budget concerns. Since current contraceptive programs vary from district to district, efforts like this aim to make condom access more equitable. At a national level, the impact of such a program would be far greater.
Preparing Teens for a Responsible Future
Access to contraception gives young people reproductive autonomy — the ability to decide when, how, and if they want to have children. Along with family planning, it can improve college graduation rates by up to 12 percent. Barrier methods like internal or external condoms also help young people prevent STIs and lower the risks associated with sexual activity. By preventing unplanned pregnancies, condoms also support a healthy planet in a world where a growing population means greater demand for water, land, trees and fossil fuels.
If you’re a parent of a high schooler, you’re probably buying highlighters, calculators and other supplies for their upcoming semester. But if we set our students up for success in one area, why not prepare them for success across the board? Buying condoms for teens is a healthy first step.
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