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The local media have eagerly reported about a new product launched by tennis star Paradorn Srichaphan that is billed as a natural alternative to Viagra, a medicine intended to treat sexual impotence in men, or erectile dysfunction. The media attention may be due to the celebrity status of the product presenter, but it also indicates that Thai society has now become more open to the once taboo subject of sex.

There are columns on sex education in daily newspapers and on Thai-language websites. And sex is discussed freely on late-night television shows, in sex-education programs or even some talk shows, not to mention the sexual content in TV soap operas aired during prime time.

In short, Thai society is bombarded with information about sex by the media and people feel more confident to discuss this topic.

However, with this new sense of freedom to debate and talk about sex, there is one thing to take into consideration: social responsibility. Our society, especially its younger members, still has much to learn in terms of responsibility for their own actions. Unplanned pregnancy, illegal abortion and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) are still public health problems for Thailand - and much of the world.

What is disturbing in Thailand is this new trend involving the younger generation. With more and more younger people being exposed to a freer discourse on sex, the copycats among them do what they see in the media, particularly on television or the Internet. Many young people reveal themselves in their "birthday suit" in front of webcams, which broadcast their nude image over the Internet. And prostitution among younger people continues to dominate headlines.

Just over two decades ago, Thailand was hard hit by the HIV/Aids crisis. The high-risk groups were prostitutes. Today, thanks to help from public health officials and regular use of condoms among sex workers, the high mortality rate among sex workers has dropped dramatically.

Increasing numbers of young people are having unprotected sex and they have become the group with the highest risk of contracting the virus that causes HIV and Aids. It could be due to their lack of knowledge about safe sex or just plain ignorance due to a false sense of confidence that their partners are free from Aids or feeling that they are "not that unlucky" to contract the disease.

Our society needs to further educate its citizens, particularly younger ones, about the responsibilities that come with sex. To become responsible members of society, people have a duty to practise safe sex to prevent unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, particularly HIV/Aids.

Many children are born because of a lack of proper family planning by their parents and they can become a burden or a problem for society. A lot of them are raised in state-run orphanages, while others suffer neglect and grow up to become trouble-makers or criminals.

We may wonder how young people acquire a frivolous attitude towards sex and who is to blame. It is easy to identify the usual suspect - the mass media. But celebrities and parents can be possible accomplices.

But what is essentially at the centre of this problem is a lack of education about safe sex in our society. We talk more about sex and we are more tolerant about sexual preferences, but there is still not enough education about safe sex. The less informed members of our society, including those in rural areas and youngsters, need access to the education as much as all other groups of people. This is one area the state can do better on - education about safe sex. We must not be shy about sharing information that can help save thousands of lives.