Yes. You read that right.
Kiddie Condoms available now!
And it gets better—they are called “Hotshots.”
Let’s set aside the blatant promotion of adolescent sex and the reinforcement of stereotypes of male sexuality in the name and examine the logic here.
Hotshots are extra-small condoms designed specifically for boys ages 12 to 14. They come in response to a government- funded study that found that young boys were not using adequate protection when engaging in adolescent sex. Those responsible for the new condom combined this new information with a German study that showed that 25% of standard condoms are too small for young boys and they reached the logical conclusion that the solution to adolescent boys having unsafe sex is simply smaller condoms.
Don’t worry about trying to reduce the number of sexually active 12-year-olds. Just manufacture small condoms, call them “Hotshots” to reinforce the belief that boys are awesome for having sex at the age of 12, and make the condoms readily available, preferably free. Problem solved.
What a perfectly clear distillation of the logic behind mainstream approaches to protecting our children from STDs, teen pregnancy, and HIV/AIDS. “Our children are having unsafe sex, let’s give them better condoms.”
The manufacturer, Lamprecht A.G., has said that expanding sales into Britain would be a “top priority” if they marketed abroad. Perhaps kiddie condoms will also help reduce teen pregnancy rates in the U.K.