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The internet contains a wealth of sexual health information, but it seems that teens are avoiding finding it there, a new study has revealed.

Researchers from the University of Glasgow have revealed that many teens are avoiding sexual health information online, due to a fear of being ‘seen.’

Meanwhile, other youngsters snub websites where they think the information is written in either a patronising or complex tone.

In the study, the researchers interviewed 49 young people aged 16 to 19 about how they find sexual health information.

(Image: iStockphoto)

The teenagers were also observed seeking relevant information online for two hypothetical scenarios, one of which was having unprotected sex and fear of having acquired a sexually-transmitted infection, and the other involved helping a friend considering having sex for the first time.

The study found that barriers to young people finding accurate information included "over-abundant content", limited awareness of trusted websites, difficulties finding locally-relevant information about services, and difficulties in navigating large organisations' websites.

Teenagers also feared being observed, such as by "liking" a page on Facebook , were wary about engaging with multi-media content, and worried about accidentally accessing sexually explicit content.

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They showed a reluctance to use social media or smartphone apps to get the information they wanted.

The authors, from the University of Glasgow, concluded: "Digital media has promise for the improved delivery of sexual health information, but it is necessary that assumptions about young people's uniform competence as 'digital natives' are examined critically so this potential can be realised.

"The onus cannot be on young people to increase their individual digital health literacy."