WHAT is sex? How do you use a condom? Should teenage sex be accepted as a fact of life? These were some of the questions raised during the Asian Youth Forum on AIDS Awareness held recently at the Hong Kong Park. The forum, which was recorded for television by MTV Asia as a part of its Free Your Mind series, brought together 50 young people and a panel of experts for a frank discussion on a disease which is exerting an increasing influence on our lives. MTV VJs Ed Bean, Sharon Gomes and Rita Tsang attempted to make the audience question their attitude to and knowledge of AIDS, their attitudes towards those who suffer from it, and to discuss ways of educating people about the disease without offending any cultural, religious or moral sensibilities. Michael Sinclair of AIDS Concern, who has himself been diagnosed as HIV positive, said: ''What's got over so far are the basic facts about the illness, so now we need to affect people's feelings. There's still a great deal of fear, prejudice and irrational feeling and behaviour associated with AIDS.'' Dr Rabin Sarda of the World Health Organisation stressed the continuing need for AIDS education and reiterated the need for closer co-operation between those in charge of waging the campaign to stop the spread of AIDS and the young people who were most at risk. ''Young people need information that is tailored for them,'' he said. It is hoped that MTV's package of rock music, flashy visuals and attractive young presenters will help make the message more accessible to the young. Rita Tsang, one of the forum presenters, said MTV's large viewing audience meant the information would ''get to the people who really need to see it''. However, there was a mixed reaction among the audience about the usefulness of the forum. A widely expressed opinion was that the views of Hong Kong youngsters were overlooked. One of the participants, Steve Ellul, thought that 99 per cent of the audience ''were fairly westernised and the range of people was too narrow''. Another participant, Martin Lai, said: ''The information's already been said before. I didn't listen for the second half.'' Paul Pang, however, disagreed. ''Having the experts talking to you face-to-face makes a difference. One guy's personal story of knowing somebody with AIDS was really emotional. This has strengthened my views and made me more aware.''