Teen sex has definitely been an issue for Americans for quite some time now, but the truth is that the average teen is waiting. The media has chosen to say everything is getting worse but in all actuality the statistics are down.
Today fewer than half of all high-school students have had sex: 47.8% of 2007, according to the national youth risk behavior summary, down from 54.1 % in 1991.
Why does the media proclaim that it is getting worse? Well, it makes sense to assume that the times have changed therefore teens are engaging in sexually activity… but the facts are that they are not. The media claims false accusations of these teens, and it is not fair.
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Good post by the way.
ReplyDeleteApparently listening to those boring abstinence assemblies in school is actually paying off for them. The media does blow things like this out of proportions. I actually am kind of surprised that the statistics are down. I thought they would be higher than 47.8% to maybe somewhere around 60-65%.
The tvs and radio are finally getting through to the teens before they make the wrong decision, a decision that could haunt them for the rest of their lives. Once again, good post. Hope to read more juicy blogs like this.
Sex sells. Juicy revelations about teen sex are particularly appealing to producers of television shows and periodicals because it's a popular topic, and one that will create a great deal of anxiety among the parents who are soaking in every upsetting detail. Advertisers must line up for a show where Oprah will be discussing teen oral sex!
ReplyDeleteSadly, statistics can be manipulated to prove whatever point it is you want to make. In this case, the article says that teen pregnancies are up, not because more teenagers are having sex, but because they are not using contraception--which is another discussion. An article about teens having more sex is infinitely more exciting than an article about how the average teen is waiting, and editors know this.
I'm glad to hear that there are less teens having sex now a days compared to a couple of years back. The reason why the media blew this out of proportion is because sex sells. Just like murder, violence, crime, drama, etc. People rarely want to hear the good things about soceity. They would rather hear how terrible the world is because it makes fascinating reading. It's a great thing that more teenagers are starting to have morals.
ReplyDeleteThe news in many causes like to report bad things that is going on in the world rather than what's good. Like those students who do well in school, rarely do they get the coverage that bad students receive. Now maybe for the first time teens are taking sex seriously than ever before. With HIV/Ads and other transmitted diseases spreading so swiftly amoung our teens, they feel that maybe they should wait until they get married and that it is not a cool thing to do at such a young age.
ReplyDeleteSeeing the statistics of the media, with the rate of sex in teens, is not surprising when they are wrong. the media uses statistocs to get ahead, whether they are correect or not. the idea that sex is being waited untill marriage is becoming a more common thing. with all the sex seminars and meeting, and ofcourse psychologists, people are finding that true love means waiting untill the ring is slid onto the finger.
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ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting article. As i read through this article posted by the New York Times something didn't seem right. There were numerous statistics and sites proving that the numbers of teens having sex have gone down since the 1990s. Yet, somehow the number of teenage pregancies continues to rise. Why is it that that people including talk show hosts such as Tyra and Oprah are so alarmed on the subject of teen sex and how it's such a catastrophe. Teens have sex, just like we all have. It's not the act of sex that is the problem, it's the way they are having sex. My question is with the wide variety and easy access of contraceptives and sex education, why are teen pregnancies rising instead of falling? We need not lecture them on waiting until they are responsible adults to be sexualy active, but to educate them on how to be responsible now. The famous sex talk is still dreded amoung parents today but it is easier than ever to prevent premature adulthood. Women like Margeret Sanger and others devoted there entire lives so that we have the right to birth control. I suggest we educate teens on how to use it.
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