New Delhi, July 3 (PTI): Teenagers today practise safe sex more than their grandparents ever did, a worldwide survey has found.

“Teenagers between the age of 16 and 19 years having first sex are at least eight times more likely to have used contraception for their sexual debut than were people now aged 65 years or over,” the 2007 Face of Global Sex report said.

But after using condoms in the initial days, boys and girls stop using them as they grow up, it said.

The survey was done by Durex Network, a social marketing arm of SSL International, one of the world’s leading condom manufacturers.

Girls are more cautious than boys, the report said. “Women are 25 per cent more likely than men to take precautions when they lose their virginity. This is also true for people who have spent some time at college compared to those who are less well-educated.”

Those who talk openly about sex and sexual health with their parents, other family members or with partners are more likely to use contraception, it added.

The survey was conducted in 26 countries across all regions of the world with 26,032 responses in total, of which 22,952 were from sexually active people.

Youngsters need to receive greater support, through comprehensive sexual education programmes involving schools, health services and society at large to enable them to better plan their first sexual experience, said Peter Roach, the firm’s vice-president.

“This should be taken even further — beyond the classroom, through colleges and universities and into the workplace — to ensure effective communication of safer-sex messages to people of all ages,” he said.