Part 1 of 2
By BRANDON A. PERRY
Recent statistics are painting a new picture of sexuality among today’s youth, and in most aspects that picture is not a pretty one.
A nationwide study released last week by Teenage Research Unlimited indicates that over half of all youth ages 11 to 14 say they have a boyfriend or girlfriend, with over a quarter of them saying that sex is a normal part of their relationship.
Two days later a report published by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics showed that the rate of pregnancy among teens ages 15 to 17 is on the rise for the first time in over a decade, with over 130,000 teens having babies last year. An average of 31 teens in Indiana get pregnant each day.
Health professionals are alarmed by the jump in pregnancy among teens who are not emotionally or financially prepared to care for babies.
“This is one of the key indicators for the health of the teen population,” said Edward Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics. “Not only does this affect teen health at this point, but their health and well-being and the well-being of their children for the next 20 to 40 years.”
Also troubling for health experts is the steady rise in the spread of sexually transmitted infections among “tweens” (youth ages 11 to 14) and teens, youth ages 15 to 19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that 1 in 4 girls has a sexually transmitted infection.
“Those are very scary statistics,” said Betty Cockrum, executive director of Planned Parenthood of Indiana. “Obviously we’re failing our kids because we’re not teaching them how to protect themselves.”
The recent studies reflect other disturbing developments over the last few years. Many Americans have witnessed national news reports about teens establishing pacts to see which of them can have the most sexual partners or get pregnant sooner.
Talk show hosts, notably Oprah Winfrey, have covered rainbow parties where several girls take turns serving a boy until a ‘rainbow’ of colors appears on his penis, as well as “sex bracelets,” with different colors indicating a sexual act that a teen is willing to perform.
Last year students were suspended for performing sex acts inside an Eastside high school, which caused panic among parents of students at the school.
Some experts have cautioned against thinking that “all” teenagers, are out of control sexually, but they are trying to figure out why those who are sexually experienced became active so early and (in many cases) so recklessly.
Two common factors can explain why and how teens become sexually active, according to a landmark study by the University of Kentucky. Those factors include peer pressure and the feeling that “everybody” is having sex.
“You’re 2.5 times more likely to have sex by the 9th grade if you think your friends are having sex — whether or not they really are,” said Katharine Atwood, a professor who worked on the study. “If you can inform them that fewer teens are having sex than they think that can have a significant impact on their behavior.
Atwood also noted research that indicates that when parents refrain from talking about sex with their children between ages 10-15, media and friends begin to play the dominant role in providing education about sexuality, often with negative results.
When discussing the issue, teenagers themselves have less profound reasons as to why they become sexually active.
“For many of us, it just seems like the adult thing to do, and we just want to try it,” said Keith Henson, a 17-year-old Pike High School student. “Some dudes don’t feel like they’re a real man until they’ve had sex.”
Katie Wickersham, 16, noted that some youths have sex out of curiosity, while others have it because they feel like they’re truly in love with their partner.
“I think we’re also seeing sex a lot more on television and in movies,” said Wikersham, who attends classes at Ivy Tech. “We see a lot of actors having casual sex with whomever they want and think it’s OK.”
Next: An inside look at the lives of sexually active teens, other causes of increased pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among teens and tips for parents on how they can reach out to their children about sex.
