When it comes to young people getting sexual, there is a general consensus that sex is an adult activity that should be reserved for responsible adults. As a matter of fact, some persons take it a step further to state that sex is for married people. For generations, young people are taught that they should wait to grow up and find a suitable partner, get married, then start having sex. In fact, certain religions clearly state that this is the most responsible and moral thing to do. In many schools, abstinence is not only encouraged, it is taught as the only responsible/moral option. Even with all the rules, young people have been getting sexually active early in their teens and many face the consequences of this choice - from teen pregnancy to STDs. There are some young people that have taken celibacy pledges deciding to save their first sexual experience for marriage.

The young people in Japan have taken it a step further by deciding to remain completely celibate. Dubbed the 'celibacy syndrome', young Japanese are not interested in traditional relationships and they are not dating or getting married - as much as 40 per cent of them can't be bothered with having sex at all. The country already has one of the world's lowest birth rate. A 2011 survey showed that 61 per cent of unmarried men and 49 per cent of women between 18 and 34 were not in any kind of romantic relationship - a 10 per cent increase from 2006.

In a survey done in 2013, the Japan Family Planning Association (JFPA) found that 45 per cent of women and 25 per cent of men under 30 were not interested in or despised sexual contact. The government is very concerned because the population is ageing and fewer babies are being born. As a matter of fact, adult diapers and incontinence products outsold baby products in Japan for the first time in 2012.

Looking at this data, it's interesting to see how just deciding to be celibate can affect a society. In Jamaica, our young people are taught to stay away from sex by all the adults in their lives. What if they took this lesson to heart? Will Jamaica ever have the challenges that Japan is facing with its ageing population? Many young Jamaicans become sexually active early in their teens and some of them even become parents. This is a challenge that the society is trying to combat with abstinence education.

Personally, I think just abstinence is not enough and our sex-education curriculum overall is lacking. The debate continues about how much young people should be exposed to in the classroom with issues like increasing the age of consent and making condoms available to students at the forefront. Ultimately, policy decisions around this topic can have varying results and although it's important for young people to wait until they are grown to get sexual, stifling their sexuality is not effective either. We need to be more proactive in educating them about sexuality so they are able to make better, more informed decisions.

Question

Dear Dr Sexy-Ann,

I read your article last week and I'm very upset that the United States has made gay marriage legal. What are they saying, that we should completely disregard the Bible? I am a Christian and I am very offended by this ruling. As Jamaicans, I think we should come out and protest because we cannot let this nastiness come here. What if the gay couples want to vacation here? We should be very concerned.

Livid, Manchester

Dear Livid,

I get that you are upset as a Christian, but I'm not sure what you want to protest. The US is a separate country from Jamaica. The law that they passed is effective in the US, not Jamaica. Gay marriage is still not legal in Jamaica. I find it interesting how up in arms we get over issues that have nothing to do with Jamaica, but we have no time to protest our problems. I know you are upset, but think about this: How has your life changed since the US made gay marriage legal? I think as a country, we have bigger problems than gay marriage and we should focus on finding solutions to those issues and pay less attention to what our neighbours are doing.

Good luck,

Dr Sexy-Ann