Safe Sex by SMS is new craze for Texting Teens

Date published: 08/05/2006

As the UK prepares for National Condom Week, Safe Text Services announce huge increases in the volume of customers to their Text Condom service.  Text Condom was launched to make condoms easily accessible to young people at risk of unwanted pregnancies and STI’s.  The service has seen an increase in customers in excessive of 60% in April compared with the previous month. 

Text Condom is an alternative method to the traditional way of buying condoms and enables customers to order and pay for condoms via their mobile phone.  Customers simply text ‘condom’ and their name and address to 80806 and 4 Mates condoms are sent first class post the same day. 

The service is growing rapidly and is proving most popular with the 16 – 24 age group, receiving regular repeat orders from both male and female customers. 

Making contraceptive services accessible to young people has always been challenging and health professionals are constantly looking for new ways to reach this at risk group.  Data shows that nearly 90% of people aged between 15 - 24 own a mobile phone.  Steve Garrett of Safe Text Services says: "We know that mobile phones have become an essential for young people.  Buying ringtones with mobile phones is common place – why not buy contraceptives in the same way?’ 

"Times are changing.  If we want to help young people take responsibility for their sexual health we need to provide services that fit in with today’s lifestyle.  The advances in technology mean that we can use our mobile phones to surf the web, take photos and listen to music – now it is possible to order condoms whenever you want from wherever you are in the UK.  The message we send out is ‘don’t take a chance, text condom in advance’ – when people are texting their mates making plans for the weekend we want them to think about sending one extra text that will help protect them against STI’s and unwanted pregnancy."

Safe Text Services are working with a number of colleges and universities across the UK providing free condoms and promoting the safe sex message.  For further details go to www.textcondom.co.uk