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Abstract
Objective: This study assesses the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic on the first time Korean adolescents have sex. Methods: The study examines 2017–2021 data from an annual, cross-sectional survey. Results: There is a significant drop in the percentages of male adolescents initiating sexual intercourse in 2020 and noticeable rebounds in 2021. However, the sexual debut among female students shows no significant change. Conclusions: We suggest that strict social distancing measures in 2020 and loosening of them in 2021, different orientations toward having sex by gender, and a strong sexual double standard are responsible for these findings.
Disclosure statement
The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
Data availability statement
The raw data are publicly available in the website https://www.kdca.go.kr/yhs/. The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the author on request.