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No first kiss for record number of Japan teens

First Kiss - Level 0

A record number of Japanese teenagers have never kissed. Researchers asked teens about their sexual behaviour. The study found that one in five high school boys and one in four girls have kissed. These are the lowest figures since records began in 1974. The numbers for boys and girls have been falling since 2005.

A reason why high schoolers are not kissing is the coronavirus pandemic. Teenagers had less contact with other people. It may have lowered sexual activity. A researcher said there was less face-to-face contact. Another reason is smartphones. More young people are choosing to be with their phones rather than be with other people.

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First Kiss - Level 1

A record low number of Japanese teenagers has kissed someone. A survey by the Japan Association for Sex Education got high schoolers to answer questions on their sexual behaviour. The study found that one in five high school boys and one in four girls have kissed. These are the lowest figures since records began in 1974. The numbers for both sexes have been falling since 2005. Researchers looked at data from 12,562 questionnaires.

A big reason why fewer high schoolers are kissing is the coronavirus pandemic. This limited teenagers' contact with other people. It may have lowered sexual activity among students. A researcher said many schools closed and there was less face-to-face contact. Another reason is smartphones. More young people are choosing to be with their phones rather than be with other people. This could make Japan's already low birth rate worse.

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First Kiss - Level 2

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A study suggests a record low number of Japanese teenagers have experienced kissing. A survey was conducted by the Japan Association for Sex Education. High schoolers answered questions on their sexual behaviour. The researchers found that one in five high school boys have kissed. This is the lowest figure since records began in 1974. The number of girls who have kissed is also falling. Just a quarter of Japan's female students have kissed. The numbers for both sexes have been falling since their peak in 2005. Researchers looked at data from 12,562 questionnaires.

There are many reasons why fewer Japanese teenagers are kissing. A big reason is the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic limited teenagers' contact with other people. This may have lowered sexual activity among school students. Researcher Professor Yusuke Hayashi said there were many school closures and less face-to-face contact during the pandemic. Another reason could be smartphones. More young people are choosing to be with their phones rather than talk to other people. This trend could worsen Japan's already low birth rate.

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First Kiss - Level 3

A new study suggests that the number of Japanese teenagers who have experienced a first kiss is at a record low. A national survey was conducted by the Japan Association for Sex Education. High schoolers answered questions on their sexual experiences and behaviour. The researchers found that just one in five high school boys has experienced kissing. This is the lowest figure since records began in 1974. The number of girls who have kissed is also on the decline. Just a quarter of Japan's female high school students have done so. The numbers for both sexes have been on the decline since their peak in 2005. Researchers analyzed data from 12,562 questionnaires.

The researchers said there were several reasons why fewer and fewer Japanese teens are kissing. A big reason is the coronavirus pandemic. A researcher suggested that: "The limited contact with others during the coronavirus outbreak may have lowered the rate of sexual activity among junior and senior high school students." Researcher Professor Yusuke Hayashi said there was a "combination of school closures and restrictions on face-to-face contact" during the pandemic. Professor Hayashi said another reason could be smartphones. More young people are choosing to interact with their phones rather than with each other. This trend could worsen Japan's already low birth rate.

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