TEEN SEXUAL ACTIVITY (Josh McDowell research 2006 to present) “95 PERCENT’ PREMARITAL SEX SURVEY IS CONNECTED TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD” “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data in 2003 showing that the percentage of teens who reported that they have had sex decreased from 54 percent in the early 1990s, to 46 percent, a significant reversal that coincided with increased federal funding of abstinence programs.” “A study that same year in Adolescent & Family Health concluded that abstinence was the catalyst for a drop in the teen birth rate from 1991-95 (the latest data available). Researchers found the number of pregnancies per 1,000 teen girls (aged 15-19) decreased from 115.8 in 1991 to 101.1 in 1995, at the same time, the number of unmarried teen girls who were abstinent – defined as never having had sex or not having had sex in the past year – increased from 53 percent to 56 percent. The study credited abstinence as the catalyst in 67 percent of the teen birth rate drop – discrediting a Guttmacher study that claimed contraception was the major factor.” (Erin Roach, “‘95 percent’ premarital sex survey is connected to Planned Parenthood,” BP News, December 2006, www.bpnews.net/printerfriendly.asp?ID=24661) ______________________ “ABORTION RESEARCHER CONFOUNDED BY STUDY” “In the emotionally charged debate over abortion, no one could accuse Professor David Fergusson of ideological bias.” “He is ‘pro-choice’ personally, but he admits his latest research - which suggests a strong link between abortion and mental illness - is liable to be used and misused as ammunition by the pro-life brigade.” “Researchers found that at age 25, 42 per cent of women in the study group who had had an abortion also experienced major depression at some stage during the past four years.” “This was nearly double the rate of those who had never been pregnant and 35 per cent higher than those who had chosen to continue a pregnancy.” “Those having an abortion had elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance use disorders,’ said the researchers, whose study has been published in the Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology.” “The study - the largest of its kind internationally - is the latest analysis to come out of the Canterbury Health and Development Study, which has followed the progress of 1265 children born in Christchurch from mid-1977.” “Professor Fergusson, who leads the project, said the paper was declined by a number of journals, he suspects because of the ‘controversial’ nature of the topic.” "’We went to four journals, which is very unusual for us - we normally get accepted the first time.’" Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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"’It verges on scandalous that a surgical procedure that is performed on over one in 10 women has been so poorly researched and evaluated, given the debates about the psychological consequences of abortion.’" In his letter to the committee, Professor Fergusson goes even further, saying his reading of the literature on abortion suggested it was ‘one of the most methodologically flawed and illiterate’ research areas he had ever encountered. ”The scientists working in the area mainly came from a ‘pro-life’ perspective, and they were often accused of making conclusions based on ‘weak evidence and strong faith.’” “But ‘no one can accuse me of that,’ he said this week with a laugh.” "’I'm pro-choice but I've produced results which, if anything, favour a pro-life viewpoint.’” "’It's obvious I'm not acting out of any agenda except to do reasonable science about a difficult problem.’" “The study has already been criticised for ‘not being completely conclusive.’ which he finds irritating.” "’Because it's not 'completely conclusive', then they say we know nothing.” "’But no science is completely conclusive - it's cumulative.’” "’Our study is strongly suggestive of a link between abortion and developing mental illness.’” "’What people should be saying is, 'This is interesting ... we need to invest more to answer this important question'.’" “The researchers expected to find no evidence of harmful effects of abortion. But they found the opposite.” (Ruth Hill, “Abortion Researcher Confounded by Study,” The New Zealand Herald, January 05, 2006.) ______________________ “DEPRESSED TEENS” “According to a recent study published in Pediatrics, highly depressed girls are 50% more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, and highly depressed teen boys are 70% more likely to do so. Dr. Jocelyn Lehrer, University of California, speculates adolescents who are emotionally distressed and socially isolated may be more likely to seek or be pressured into sexual activity, in the name of some kind of shared intimacy, or to maintain relationships they value. Depression also may make adolescents more vulnerable to sexual pressures and temptations to use drugs or alcohol. At times it’s a young person’s way of trying to harm themselves. 15-20% of teens experience at least one bout of major depression. Adolescents account for half of all new cases of sexually transmitted diseases.” (The Foster Letter: Religious Market Update, Gary D. Foster Consulting, September 25, 2006 [Agape Press 9/6/06]: 2. ______________________
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“GEN NEXT” “75% of Gen Next Americans (ages 18-25) say today’s youth are more likely to have casual sex than were young people 20 years ago. Only 7% say their generation has less casual sex, and 17% say it’s about the same. 70% of Nexters resort to violence to solve conflicts more often than the previous generation, and 69% engage more often in binge drinking and illegal drug use (63%) when compared with their predecessors.” (Pew Research Center, 2/23/07) ______________________ “HERPES” “Approximately one-third of unmarried sexually active people have contracted herpes by the age of thirty.” (p. 42) “It is not unusual to be infectious without knowing it. Everyone who has herpes outbreaks can spread the herpes virus between outbreaks because cells of the virus are intermittently shed or discarded by the body, even when an infection has subsided. People who know they have herpes often feel ‘safe’ having sex if they do not at that moment have an outbreak.” (p. 43) “We are fairly certain now that most people who have been infected with herpes will develop these recurrent outbreaks periodically for many years, perhaps for life.” (p. 45) (Joe S. McIlhaney Jr. “SEX; What You Don’t Know Can Kill You.” Baker Books 1997) ______________________ “MORE TEEN GIRLS HAVING SEX AND EARLIER” “During the last 50 years, the number of sexually active teenage girls almost quadrupled, with the average age of first intercourse now at 15—reasons include less guilt about sex and an increased acceptance of premarital sex.” “’The 1960s might have been called the ‘sexual revolution,’ but they were just the beginning,’ says lead researcher Jean Twenge.” “When Primetime and Seventeen magazine invited 14 teenage girls to a slumber party to discuss sex, many admitted to engaging in risky behavior, attending sex parties, and letting boys pressure them and treat them poorly. The girls said they didn’t communicate well with their parents about sex but longed to confide in them.” “In a related story, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved a vaccine that protects girls as young as 9 from the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer. Abstinence advocates oppose mandatory HPV vaccinations.” (“More Teen Girls Having Sex and Earlier,” (abcnews.com, Newsweek). Group Magazine (SeptemberOctober, 2006): 27) Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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______________________ “MRSA INFECTION SPREADS BY SEX: STUDY DISCOVERS NEWMEANS OF TRANSMISSION” “A virulent, drug-resistant form of staph bacteria that has spread across the USA since it was identified in 2000 can be spread by sexual activity, a mode of transmission that is ‘important and previously unrecognized,’ a study shows.” “Scientists at Columbia University Medical Center, reporting in the Feb. 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, identified three cases in which the bacteria known as community-associated MRSA passed between sexual partners.” “The report is the first to document the spread of MRSA through heterosexual activity, says Rachel Gorwitz of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” “’MRSA is transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact,’ she says, ‘so it’s not surprising it could be transmitted during sex.’” “In the study, researchers examined 114 households in Manhattan were MRSA infections had been identified and found three in which the bacteria was spread by sexual activity.” “The spread of MRSA through sexual activity has been seen by emergency room doctors, says James Roberts of Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia.” “In a letter published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine in January, he reported treating a lap dancer for MRSA infections on her buttocks.” “’She relayed that other lap dancers at her club had similar problems, considered a known occupational hazard by the women,’ he wrote.” (Anita Manning, ‘MRSA Infection Spreads by Sex,’ USA Today, 11 January 2007, sec. D, p8) ______________________ “ORAL AND ANAL SEX INCREASING AMONG TEENS” “During the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the proportion of teenagers and young adults engaging in oral sex and, less commonly, having anal intercourse, according to data from STD clinics in Baltimore, Maryland.” “In examining the 1994 medical records of 2,598 12- to 25-year olds, and the 2004 medical records of 6,438 subjects of the same age, attending STD clinics in Baltimore, Erbelding and colleagues found that over the 10-year period the prevalence of self-reported oral sex in the previous 90 days doubled among males (from 16 percent to 32 percent) and more than doubled among females (from 14 percent to 38 percent).”
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“There was also an increase in rectal sex among young women, ‘but it was a lot less common than oral sex,’ Erbelding said. Among young women, the prevalence of self-reported anal sex over the period rose from 3 percent to 5.5 percent.” “However, Erbelding emphasized that oral and anal sex may result in the transmission of STDs that will not be detected in urine tests. ‘A urine test is not going to pick up gonorrhea of Chlamydia that might have been acquired through rectal or oral sex, with gonorrhea being the more significant for oral sex.’” (Megan Rauscher, “Oral and anal sex increasing among teens,” Yahoo News, June 2006, www.news.yahoo.com) ______________________ “ORAL SEX LINKED TO THROAT CANCER” “HPV infection was found to be a much stronger risk factor than tobacco or alcohol use, the Johns Hopkins University study of 300 people found.” “The New England Journal of Medicine study said the risk was almost nine times higher for people who reported oral sex with more than six partners.” “HPV infections is the cause of the majority of cervical cancers, and 80 % of sexually active women can expect to have an HPV infection at some point in their lives.” “Those who had evidence of prior oral HPV infection had a 32-fold increased risk of throat cancer.” “Oral sex was said to be the main mode of transmission of HPV but the researchers said mouth-to-mouth transmission, for example through kissing, could not be ruled out.” “Most HPV infections clear with little or no symptoms.” (“Oral Sex Linked to Throat Cancer,” BBC News, May 10, 2007; http://bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr//2/hi/health/6639461.stm). ______________________ “RAUNCHY ROCK AND RASSLIN’” “Rand Corp. researchers found teens (mostly virgins) were nearly twice as likely to start having sex in the next two years if they listened to raunch rock. ‘Songs depicting men as ‘sex-driven studs,’ women as sex objects and with explicit references to sex acts are more likely to trigger early sexual behavior,’ summarized The Associated Press.” “In the other, a team led by a Wake Forest researcher found that kids who soak up pro-wrestling – where male grapplers routinely beat up not just each other but women, often shown as bimbos- are more prone to violence, including righting while on dates.” (Dave Clegg, “Raunchy Rock and Rasslin,’” Citizen (November 2006): 14) ______________________
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“THE ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM” “Professor David Fergusson, director of the Christchurch Health and Development Study in New Zealand, is firmly pro-choice. But I suspect the good professor might understand if I point out that, lately, he’s been getting a little taste of what it’s like to be pro-life.” “Fergusson and two colleagues, L. John Horwood and Elizabeth Ridder, conducted a study on abortion and mental health. And they didn’t find what they expected to find. Their report states, ‘Those having an abortion [under age 25] had elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance use disorders.’ Their report goes on to say, ‘The findings suggest that abortion in young women may be associated with increased risks of mental health problems.’” “Talk about irony. We’re used to hearing about the ‘mental health’ aspects of abortion, of course—but usually, we’re being told that a woman’s mental health is in danger if she doesn’t have an abortion. At the very least, this new study forces pro-choicers to question the all-too-common assumption, an assumption that now is putting young women in danger.” “My hat is off to Dr. Fergusson. Despite the controversy, and despite the fact that his results disagreed with his own beliefs, Fergusson was determined to publish them anyway. And he told the Herald, ‘It verges on the scandalous that a surgical procedure this is performed on over one in 10 women has been so poorly researched and evaluated, given the debates about the psychological consequences of abortion.’” (“The Elephant in the Living Room,” The New Zealand Abortion Study, February 24, 2006) ______________________ “WHAT MOTIVATES TEENS TO HAVE SEX?” “Teenagers want their relationships to bring them intimacy, social status and sexual pleasure, and they have a strong expectation that these goals will be fulfilled if they have sex, according to “Greater Expectations: Adolescents’ Positive Motivations for Sex,” by Mary A. Ott et al., published in the June 2006 issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.” “The researchers asked ninth graders at Northern California high schools about their relationship goals, their expectations of the degree to which sex would satisfy these goals and their sexual experience. Both boys and girls ranked intimacy as the most important relationship goal, followed by social status and sexual pleasure, although females considered intimacy significantly more important and pleasure significantly less so than males. Additionally, teenagers who were sexually experienced had higher expectations that sex would meet their goals for intimacy, sexual pleasure and social status than teens who had not had sex.” “A second article in the same issue of Perspectives, “Boyfriends, Girlfriends and Teenagers’ Risk of Sexual Involvement,” by Barbara VanOss Marin et al., follows a sample of California youth through middle school, and finds that even small age differences between girls and their boyfriends increases their risk of becoming sexually active. The authors found that young girls who had a boyfriend by seventh grade were more likely to be sexually active in ninth grade, and that those who had an older boyfriend were at greater risk than those whose boyfriend was their own age.” Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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(Rebecca Wind, “What Motivates Teens To Have Sex?” Guttmacher Institute, June 2006, http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/2006/06/12/index.html) ______________________ “WHERE AND WHEN DO TEENS FIRST HAVE SEX? “It’s Not What You Think” “Are teens most likely to have their first experience with sex in the back seat of a car? Or in their own home? Between the time school gets out and a parent gets home from work? Or during night and evening hours?” “The answers may surprise you. New data from a national survey of teens indicate that most report their ‘first time’ occurred in their own or their partner's family home during the night or evening hours – places and times when many parents are likely to be around.” “The U.S. teen birth rate has fallen for 10 consecutive years (reaching 45.9 births per 1,000 females 15-19 in 2001).” “Time and Place of First Sex. 42 percent of teens reported that their first sexual encounter occurred between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Another 28 percent reported first having sex between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. More than half of all sexually experienced teens reported that their first sexual encounter occurred in their family’s home (22 percent) or their partner’s family home (34 percent).” (“Where and When Do Teens First Have Sex?”www.childtrends.org/n_faag2002.asp) ______________________ “WHERE AND WHEN DO TEENS FIRST HAVE SEX?” “While the U.S. teen birth rate has fallen for 10 consecutive years (reaching 45.9 births per 1,000 females 15-19 in 2001), other statistics examined by Child Trends present a compelling case for continued public attention to teen sexual behavior, pregnancy, and childbearing. For example:”
“Time and Place of First Sex. 42 percent of teens reported that their first sexual encounter occurred between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Another 28 percent reported first having sex between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. More than half of all sexually experienced teens reported that their first sexual encounter occurred in their family's home (22 percent) or their partner's family home (34 percent).”
“Increases in Some Critical Sexually Transmitted Infections. Adolescents and young adult females had higher rates of Chlamydia and gonorrhea than any other age group in the U.S. Rates of Chlamydia have increased for both male and female adolescents and young adults between 1996 and 2000.”
“Hispanic Teens at Greatest Risk of Teen Birth. Teen birth rates have fallen for all racial and ethnic groups, but remain much higher for Hispanics (92 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19) than either non-Hispanic blacks (82) or non-Hispanic whites (30). Moreover, while the rate of teen births among Hispanics has been falling, the number of teen births has actually been increasing.”
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“Repeat Teen Births. About one in five teen births are births to teens who have already borne a child.”
(News Room, "Where and When Do Teens First Have Sex?," Child Trends News Room, September 26, 2002, http://www.childtrends.org/n_FAAG2002.asp) ______________________ “WHY ADOLESCENTS SAY "NO" TO SEX”
“In a survey done by the Kaiser Family Foundation and SEVENTEEN magazine, more than 9 in 10 teens agree that being a virgin is a “good thing.” So why are teens waiting to have sex? When asked “What age is appropriate to lose your virginity?”, teens most frequently said 18 or when you are married. Teens report that worries about pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and other STIs stop them from sexual activity. What teens have been taught at home and at school, as well as their own personal values (religious or moral), also influences their decision to wait.¹ Virginity pledges also help or encourage adolescents to stay abstinent. In one study, adolescents who signed virginity pledges are less likely to have intercourse than adolescents who do not pledge.²” 1.SexSmarts, Virginity and the first time [Kaiser Family Foundation SEVENTEEN Website]. Available at: http://www.kff.org/mediapartnerships/Seventeen_surveys.cfm. Accessed January 6, 2004. 2 Berman PS, Bruckner H. Promising the future: virginity pledges and first intercourse. AJS. 2001;106:859-912.” (“Why Adolescents Say “No” to Sex”, http://www.medinstitute.org/whyno.htm) ______________________
“WHY DO TEENS HAVE SEX? FOR INTIMACY, SOCIAL STATUS, STUDY SAYS” “The researchers found the boys and girls valued relationship goes differently:”
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“Girls considered intimacy significantly more important than boys did. Boys reported higher expectations that sex would lead to pleasure and social status.” (Lisa Habib, “Why Do Teens Have Sex? For Intimacy, Social Status, Study Says,” Fox News.com, June 2006, www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,199540,00.html) ______________________ “WHY DO YOUNG TEENS HAVE SEX?” “Teens want their relationships to bring them intimacy, social status, and sexual pleasure – and they have a strong expectation these goals will be fulfilled if they have sex, according to a report in the June 2006 issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.” “About 57 percent of the kids were girls, 43 percent boys, and most were 14 years old.” “The researchers found the boys and girls valued relationship goals differently:” o “Girls Considered intimacy significantly more important than boys did.” o “Boys reported higher expectations that sex would lead to pleasure and social status.” (“Why Do Young Teens Have Sex?” CBS NEWS, June 2006, www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/14/health/webmd/printable1711366.shtml) ______________________ “1 IN 4 U.S. TEEN GIRLS HAS STD STUDY SHOWS MOST COMMON VIRUS CAN CAUSE CANCER” “Among those who admitted having sex, 40 percent had an STD.” “The overall STD rate among the 838 girls in the study was 26 percent, which translates to more than 3 million girls nationwide, the CDC said.” “Test results” “The CDC tested teens ages 14 to 19 for four infections:” “Human papillomavirus, of HPV, affected 18 percent in the study.” “Chlamydia, 4 percent.” “Trichomoniasis, 2.5 percent.” “Genial herpes, 2 percent.” (Lindsey Tanner, “1 in 4 U.S. teen girls has STD Study shows most common virus can cause cancer,” Pensacola News Journal, 1A, March 12, 2008) ______________________ “‘ABSTINENCE’ OR ‘COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION?’”
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“Consequences of Teen Sex – In 2005, 63.1% of American adolescents had experienced sexual intercourse by the end of high school. 3 Many serious health and social problems in Americana society are related to teen sexual activity. These include:” A. “Teen Pregnancy: One in 13 high-school-age girls becomes pregnant each year America.4 Adverse consequences associated with teen pregnancies include abortion, unwed teen parenthood, father absence, poverty, welfare dependence, and the growth of drug abuse, gang culture, and crim.5-9” B. “STDs: STDs have emerged as a significant threat to adolescent health. The consequences include chronic pelvic pain, genital lesions, lifetime infection, infertility, ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, damage to unborn children, cancer, and in some cases death.10-13 Adolescent STD rates are higher than rates for all other age groups. One quarter of sexually active teens have an STD,1 and adolescent rates for most STDs are on the rise.11,14,15 The growing STD problem has been called a hidden epidemic.11,16 The direct medical cost of 9 million STD problem new cases of STDs that occurred among U.S. adolescents and young adults (15-24-year olds) in the year 2000 was estimate at $6.5 billion (in year 2000 dollars).17” C. “Poorer Emotional Health: There is a strong associating between sexual activity and poor emotional health for adolescents.” “Sexually active teens are more than twice as likely as virgin teens to be depressed or attempt suicide. Adolescents report a drop in self-esteem after initiating sexual intercourse, and the majority express regret for becoming sexually active.18-21” “Sexually experienced teens, especially girls, are much more likely to experience dating violence than their virgin peers, and sexual exploitation (such as statutory rape) and unwanted or forced intercourse/rape are not uncommon among sexually experienced teen girls. In 2005, one out of eight 12th grade girls in the U.S. reported being physically forced to have intercourse against her will.3,22,23” “Failure of Comprehensive Programs – When studies are held to the same criteria as the Mathematica evaluation (random assignment, a follow-up period of 2 ½ to 5 ½ years, a high level success criteria), there is ample evidence that condom-based sex education interventions do not work. In the past 20 years, studies evaluating abstinence education programs have been limited in number and in rigor, while during the same time period research on comprehensive sex education has abounded,29-32 One recent and thorough summary of this reasearch33 reviewed 50 well-designed evaluation studies of comprehensive sex education programs in the United States, going back to 1990, and included these findings:” A. “None of the programs increased the prevalence of consistent condom use (CCU)c among adolescents for a period greater than one year. CCU is the only condom measure that approaches the stringent standard of the abstinence measure. Only one program produced a significant increase in the prevalence of CCU that was sustained for a period of one year.35” B. “Thirteen trials of comprehensive sex education found no increase in teen condom use for any period of time.” C. “Only two comprehensive sex education programs succeeded in improving less stringent measure of teen condom use (not CCU) for a period longer than two years, and non lasted beyond three years.”
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“In summary, of 50 rigorous studies spanning the past 15 years, only one of them reports an improvement in consistent condom use after a period of at least one year.35 This study showed that 58% of females visiting a health clinic for STDs one year after the CCU intervention reported CCU while the control group reported 45%. The other 49 studies either did not measure CCU (the best comparison with abstinent behavior), or did not find a significant program effect of at least one year.33 This pattern of evidence (1 success out of 49) odes not provide a reasonable basis for replacing abstinence education with a condom-based sex education policy.” “Evidence of Abstinence Effectiveness – Several well-designed evaluations of abstinence programs have found significant, long-term reductions in adolescent sexual activity, with both moderate and high-risk populations.” A. “A randomized controlled trial conducted by Jemmott et al. found that an abstinence-only intervention significantly reduced sexual initiation among young African American adolescents after a 24-month follow-up period, and did not reduce condom use for those virgins who did become sexually active (p<.05).36” B. “An abstinence curriculum that was taught in addition to an existing comprehensive sex education program decreased sexual initiation by approximately 40% after 20 months for program students versus comparison students in a high-risk population (p<.01).37” C. “An evaluation of the Reasons of the Heart abstinence curriculum found that adolescent program participants were approximately one half as likely as the matched comparison group to initiate sexual activity after one year (p<.05). The program’s effect was as strong for the African American subgroup in the sample as it was overall (p<.05)38” D. “A study of the Heritage Keepers abstinence program found that one year after program participation virgin middle school students were about one half as likely to initiate sexual activity as the comparison group (<.001). Roughly one half of the sample was African American, for whole the program effect was equally strong (p<.001).39” E. “The Sex Respect and Teen Aid abstinence-only programs reduced the rate of initiation of sex by more than one third (p<.01) for the high-risk students in a Caucasian high school sample after 12 months.40” “Benefits of Abstinence – Abstinence education offers benefits to adolescents and society that are not found in the comprehensive sex education approach.” A. “Abstinence provides 100% protection from the biological consequences of sex (pregnancy, abortion, teen parenthood, the full spectrum of STDs).” B. “Youth who abstain can avoid the negative emotional consequences related to teen sex – lowered selfesteem, regret, depression, etc. – as well as reducing the likelihood of experiencing sexual coercion and sexual violence.” C. “Abstinence programs emphasize principles of self-restraint, self-esteem, future goals, long-term commitment, and unselfishness in relationships, and teach healthy relationship skills, all of which support the formation of strong marriages and healthy families.” Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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D. “Several studies have found that teaching abstinence does not reduce rates of condom use for virgin teens who become sexually active.36,41” E. “Abstinence education addresses the relationship of sexuality to the well-being of the whole person, rather than treating sexual activity as an isolated and unrelated behavior.” “Programs That Work – Our research shows, not surprisingly, that some programs work and some don’t. The important questions are ‘which ones do, and why?’ Abstinence interventions are most effective if they incorporate what has been learned about how to reduce adolescent sexual risk behavior.” A. “Well-designed programs target teen attitudes, values, efficacy, and goals regarding abstinence, sexuality, and relationships, as key mediators of sexual behavior.” B. “The classroom teacher plays a crucial role in the process of changing teen attitudes and behaviors about sexuality through his/her personal example, mentoring, and teaching skills.” C. “Successful programs utilize a variety of instructional methods that include interactive participatory activities, role playing, skill-building, personal application, and commitment.” D. “An initial program installment of 20 hours of instruction, repeated annually, and followed by regular reinforcement of the abstinence message is the minimum dose recommended to facilitate an increase in teen sexual abstinence.” E. “Well-designed abstinence interventions will contain a strong parent component that includes direct parent instruction and ‘homework’ assignments to facilitate parent-teen interaction about abstinence.” Footnotes “Guttmacher Institute. (2006). U.S. Pregnancy Statistics: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity. New York: Author. September, 2006.” Footnotes 1 Trenholm, C., Devaney, B., Fortson, K., Quay, L., Wheeler, J., & Clark, M. (2007). Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. April 2007. 3 Eaton, D.K., Kann, L., Hawkins, J., & Harris, W.A. (2006). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States, 2005. MMWF Surveillance Summaries, June 9, 2006/55(SS05);1-108. Retrieved Jan. 12, 2007 from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5505a1.htm. 5 Hofferth, S.L., & Reid, L. (2002). Early childbearing and children’s achievement and behavior over time. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 34(1):41-49. 6 Jaffee, S.R. (2002). Pathways to adversity in young adulthood among early child bearers. [Electronic version] [Abstract]. Journal of Family Psychology, 16, 38-49. 7 Maynard, R.A. (Ed.) (1997). Kids having kids: economic costs and social consequences of teen pregnancy. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. Cited in Emerging Answers: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy, Kirby, 2001. 8 Miller, B.C., & Moore, K.A. (1990). Adolescent sexual behavior, pregnancy, & parenting: Research through the 1980s. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 52, 1025-1044. 9 Warren, C.W., Kann, L., Small, M.L., Santelli, J.S., Collins, J.L., & Kolbe, L.J. (1997). Age of Initiating Selected Health-Risk Behaviors among High School Students in the United States. Journal of Adolescent Health, 21, 225-231. 10 American Social Health Association. (1998). Sexually Transmitted Diseases in America: How Many Cases and a What Cost? Menlo Park, CA.: Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved October 6, 2003, from http://www.kff.org/contentarchive/1445/std_rep.htm.”
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2001). Tracking the Hidden Epidemics 2000: Trends in STDs in the United States. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Healthy and Human Services, July, 2001. Retrieved March 12, 2003, from http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/news/RevBrochure1pdfintro.htm.” 12 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). (2001). Workshop Summary: Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention. July 20, 2001. Washington, DC: National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services.” 13 Sulack, P.J. (2003). Sexually transmitted diseases. Seminars in reproductive medicine, 21 (4): 399-413.” 14 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2003a). Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2002. Atlanta, GAL U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, September 2003. Retrieved February 9, 2004, from http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats/tables/table12B.htm.” 15 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2003b). Fact Sheet – Young People at Risk:HIV/AIDS Among America’s Youth. Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. Atlanta GA : U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved June 24, 2003, from http://ww.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/facts/youth.htm.” 17 Chesson, H.W., Blandford, J.M., Gift, T.L., Tao, G., & Irwin, K.L. (2004). The estimated direct medical cost of sexually transmitted diseases among American youth, 2000. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2004, 36(1):11-19.” 18 Halfors, D.D., Waller, M. W., Ford, C.A., Halpern, C.T., Brodish, P.H., & Iritani, B. (2004). Adolescent depression and suicide risk: association with sex and drug behaviors. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 27:224-230.” 19 Rector, R., Johnson, K., & Noyes, L. (2003). Sexually Active Teenagers are More Likely to be Depressed and to Attempt Suicide. Heritage Foundation Center for Data Analysis 2003: Report #03-04. Available at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/cda0304.crm. Accessed June 5, 2003.” 20 Bearman, P.J., & Bruckner, H. (2001). Promising the fruiter: virginity pledges and the transition to first intercourse. American Journal of Sociology, 106:859-912.” 21 National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. (2003) America’s Adults and Teens Sound Off About Teen Pregnancy: An Annual National Survey. December 2003. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved January 5,2004, from http://www.teenpregnancy.org.” 22 Moore, K., & Manlove, J. (2005) A demographic portrait of statutory rape. Presentation to Conference on Sexual Exploitation of Teens. March 2005. Washington, DC: Child Trends. Accessed October 30, 2006 at: Statutory_rapefinal_version_sent_to_OPA.ppt.” 23 Silverman, J.G., Raj, A., & Clements, K. (2004). Dating violence and associated risk and pregnancy among adolescent girls in the United States. Pediatrics, 114(2), e220-225.” 29 Thomas, M. (200). Abstinence-based programs for prevention of adolescent pregnancies: A review. Journal of Adolescent Health, 26, 5-17.” 30 Kirby, D. (2002). Do Abstinence-Only Programs Delay the Initiation of Sex Among Young People and Reduce Teen Pregnancy? Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.” 31 Manlove, J.M., Terry-Humen, E., Papillo, A., Franzetta, K., Williams, S., & Ryan, S. (2002). Preventing teenage pregnancy, childbearing, and sexually transmitted diseases: What the research shows. In Child Trends & John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (Eds.), American teens: A special look at “what works” in adolescent development (pp. 6-23). Washington, DC: Child Trends.” 32 Scher, L.S., Maynard, R.A., & Stagner, M. (2005). Interventions intended to reduce pregnancy-related outcomes among adolescents. (Unpublished manuscript, June 30, 2005)” 33 Kirby, D., Laris, B.a., & Rolleri, L. (2006). The impact of sex and HIV education programs on sexual behaviors of youth in developing and developed countries. Youth Research Working Paper Series, No.2, Family Health International.” 35 DiClemente, D.R., Wingood, G.M., Harrington, K.F., Lang, D.L., Davies, S.L., Hook III, E.W., et al. (2204). Efficacy of an HIV prevention intervention for African American adolescent girls: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 292, 171-9.” 36 Jemmott III, J.B., Jemmott, L.S., & Fong, G.T. (2006). Efficacy of an abstinence-only intervention over 24 months: a randomized controlled trial with young adolescents. Presentation at XVI International AIDS Conference, Toronto, Canada; Aug. 13-18, 2006.” 37 Howards,M., & McCabe, J.B. (1990). Helping teenagers postpone sexual involvement. Family Planning Perspectives, 22, 21-26.” 38 Weed, S.E., Ericksen, I.H., Lewis, A., Grant, G.E., & Webberly, K.H. (2007). An Abstinence Program’s Impact on Cognitive Mediators and Sexual Initiation. American Journal of Health Behavior (in press).” 39 Weed, S.E., Ericksen, I.H., Birch, P.J. (2005). An evaluation of the Heritage Keepers Abstinence Education program. In Golden A (ed.) Evaluating Abstinence Education Programs: Improving Implementation Assessing Impact. Washington DC: Office of Population Affairs and the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health & Human Services, 2005:88-103.” 40 Olsen, J.A., Weed, S.E., Daly, D., Jensen, L. (1992). The effect of abstinence sex education programs on virgin versus nonvirgin students. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 25:69-75.”
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Borawski, E.A., Trapl, E.S., Lovegreen, L.D., Colabianchi, N., & Block, T. (2005). Effectiveness of abstinence-only intervention in middles school teens. American Journal of Health Behavior, 29:423-434.”
(“‘Abstinence’ or ‘Comprehensive’ Sex Education? The Institute for Research and Evaluation,” June 8, 2007) ______________________ “EARLY ONSET OF SEXUAL ACTIVITY” “Early Onset of Sexual Activity among teens may relate to the amount of adult content children were exposed to during their childhood, finds a new Children’s Hospital Boston study. Based on a longitudinal study tracking children from age 6 to 18, researchers found that the younger children are exposed to content intended for adults in TV and movies, the earlier they become sexually active. For every hour 6 to 8 year-olds watched adult-targeted content, their chances of having sex during early adolescence increased by 33%. Kids learn from media, and when they watch media with sexual references and innuendos, they are more likely to engage in sexual activity earlier in life.” (LifeSite News 5/5/09) (Edited by Gary D. Foster, The Foster Letter – Religious Market Update, June 10, 2009) ______________________ “FAST FACTS ABOUT PORNOGRAPHY”
“66% of nearly 500 HR professionals surveyed reported finding pornography on employee computers.”
“70% of all online pornography is accessed during the workday hours of 9 to 5.”
“Every second, there are approximately 28,258 Internet users viewing pornography.”
(Gary Foster, “Fast Facts,” Religious Market Update, June 25, 2009,p4; www.garydfoster.com) ______________________ “HARMFUL MUSIC” “Pittsburgh Univ. School of Medicine researchers have found teenagers who regularly listen to music with explicit and aggressive sexual phrases are twice as likely to be engaged in sexual activity vs. those who avoided such music. 9th graders with more exposure are more than twice as likely to have had sexual intercourse. (LifeSite News 2/25/09)” (Gary Foster, “Harmful Music,” Religious Market Update, March 10, 2009, p4; www.garydfoster.com) ______________________ “HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU SLEPT WITH? 2.8 MILLION?” “The average British man or woman has slept with 2.8 million people...”
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“‘When we sleep with someone, we are, in effect, not only sleeping with them, but also their previous partners and their partners’ previous partners, and so on,’ Clare Kerr, head of sexual health at Lloydspharmacy.” (“How Many People Have You Slept With? 2.8 Million?” Breitbart.com, September 23, 2009, http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.0c4b2 4212c382250e4954bff02727d24.1d1&show_article=1). ______________________ “IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY” “As a new mother herself, Brenda Lohman admits to being shocked by the results of a new study she coauthored. It found that among nearly 1,000 low-income families in three major cities, one in four children between the ages of 11 and 16 reported having sex, with their first sexual intercourse experience occurring at the average age of 12.77.” ‘"So if 12 years was the average age here, that meant that some kids were starting at 10 or younger,’ said Lohman, an Iowa State University associate professor of human development and family studies (HDFS). ‘A handful of kids reported having sex as early as 8 or 9. We know from our follow-up interviews that one boy who reported having sexual intercourse for the first time at age nine had fathered four children by the time he was 18.’" “In the study, boys reported their first sexual intercourse at younger ages (averaging 12.48) than girls (13.16). Boys also had nearly 10 percent higher frequency of intercourse than girls and were also more likely to experience sexual debut (20 percent to 14 percent) between the two years when the first two waves of data were collected.” “Recent national research has found that 13 percent of girls and 15 percent of boys have had sex by the time they're 16. Lohman says that means the rate of sex among her low-income sample is only slightly higher among the girls, but almost double among the boys…” ‘"The ages [of sexual debut] are a bit younger than the national samples, but not alarmingly so,’" she said.” (University Relations, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, September 12, 2009, www.news.iastate.edu/news/2009/aug/teensex) ______________________ “MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH AS YOUNG AS 12 ENGAGING IN RISKY SEXUAL ACTIVITY” “Middle school youth are engaging in sexual intercourse as early as age 12, according to a study by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health.” “Results from this study are published in the April issue of Journal of School health.” “In the study, Markham and colleagues defined sexual intercourse as vaginal, oral or anal sex. According to their research, by age 12, 12 percent of students had already engaged in vaginal sex, 7.9 percent in oral sex, 6.5 percent in anal sex and 4 percent in all three types of intercourse.” Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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“The study found one-third of sexually active students reported engaging in vaginal or anal sex without a condom within the past three months, and one-fourth had four or more partners. The more experience students in all three types of intercourse were more likely to be male and African-American.” “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 80 percent of the 435,427 births to mothers ages 15 to 19 were the result of unintended pregnancies. According to the National Vital Statistics Report, birth rates among Hispanic and black teens remain higher than other racial/ethnic groups, including rates among those ages 10 to 14.” “In 2000, youth between the ages of 15 and 24 accounted for 9.1 million or 48 percent of all new STD cases, according to a report by the CDC. Minority youth also are disproportionately affected. The CDC’s 2006 STD Surveillance Report stated that minority racial and ethnic populations had higher rates of STDs when compared to whites and, although black teens represent only 17 percent of U.S. teenagers, they account for 70 percent of HIV/AIDS cases reported among teens. ‘We need more research to develop effective interventions, in particular for youth of color living in underserved areas,” Markham said.’” ‘“A common misperception among adolescents is that oral or anal intercourse is not as risky for STD transmission,’ said Markham. ‘But transmission or non-viral and viral STDs can occur through all three types of intercourse when condoms are not used.’” ‘“These findings clearly indicate the need for open discussion about sexual health in the middle school level,’ Markham said. ‘It is critical that health and education teachers and school nurses feel comfortable addressing these issues with their students and that their efforts are supported by parents and the school administration,’ she added.” (Jade Waddy, “Middle School Youth as Young as 12 Engaging in Risky Sexual Activity,” EurekAlert.org, April 8, 2009, http://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/uoth-msy040809.php) ______________________ “PORN PLAGUE” “According to recent surveys, nearly 60% of U.S. Christian men and 37% of pastors admit to struggling with pornography. No longer just a problem for men, 35% of women also admit to the addiction. This plague on both body and spirit is a $13.3 billion industry.” (LifeSite News 1/12/09). (Gary Foster, “Porn Plague,” Religious Market Update, February 10, 2009, p1; www.garydfoster.com) ______________________ “PORN STUDIES” “Porn Studies have shown men who view pornography, addicted or not, have problematic attitudes toward women: they objectify them. Brain chemistry research shows porn triggers the release of dopamine, the same chemical released when we’re in the ‘in love with’ phase of a relationship. Addicted or not, overstimulation leads to desensitization, and over time, more and different stimulation is needed to achieve the same ‘high.’ The healthy intimacy of marital sex starts to lose its ability to satisfy.” (Porn University by Michael Leahy Northfield Publishing 4/1/09) Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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“Fast Facts:”
“$4 billion is spent on video porn in the U.S. each year, more than on football, baseball and basketball combined.”
“7% of all Internet users now view porn online.”
“In ’06, worldwide porn revenue was estimated to be $97.6 billion. $13.3 billion is generated in the U.S. annually.”
“Approximately 30% of Internet porn consumers are female.”
(Edited by Gary D. Foster, The Foster Letter – Religious Market Update, June 10, 2009) ______________________ “PREVALENCE OF HPV INFECTION AMONG FEMALES IN THE UNITED STATES” “Genital HPV types are categorized according to their epidemiological association with cervical cancer. Infections with low-risk types, such as HPV types 6 and 11, can cause benign or low-grade changes in cells of the cervix, genital warts, and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. High-risk HPV types can cause cervical, anal, and other genital cancers. High-risk HPV types are detected in 99% of cervical cancers, and worldwide approximately 70% of cervical cancers are due to HPV types 16 and 18. Although HPV infection is common, studies suggest approximately 90% of infections clear within 2 years.” “Conclusions HPV is common among females in the United States. Our data indicate that the burden of prevalent HPV infection among females was greater than previous estimates and was highest among those aged 20 to 24 years. However, the prevalence of HPV vaccine types was relatively low.” (“Prevalence of HPV Infection Among Females in the United State,” American Medical Association, February 28, 2007.) ______________________ “Prolific Porn” “Prolific Porn Studies show that 40 million adults regularly visit Internet porn sites, more than 10 times the number who regularly watch baseball. 70% is downloaded between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. 20% of men access it at work. Internet porn revenue exceeds, by nearly 2 to 1, the combined revenues of ABC, CBS and NBC. 25% of all searches are for sex, which is the #1 Google and Yahoo search term. Sales of porn material on the Internet surpass the cumulative sales of all other products sold online. 70% of 18-24 year olds visit a pornographic website in a typical month. The average age of first Internet exposure to porn in age 11.” (Awaken Generations 12/16/08) (Gary Foster, “Prolific Porn,” Religious Market Update, February 10, 2009, p2; www.garydfoster.com) ______________________ “RESPONDING TO DANGEROUS TEEN DATING” Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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“A survey last year of children ages 11 to 14 by Liz Claiborne inc., a clothing retailer that finances teenage dating research, found that a quarter of the 1,000 respondents said they’d been called names, harassed or ridiculed by their romantic partners by phone call or text message, often between midnight and 5 a.m. when their parents are sleeping.” “In the Center for Disease Control’s 2007 survey of 15,000 adolescents, 10 percent reported physical abuse such as being hit or slapped by a romantic partner. Nearly 8 percent of teenagers in the survey said they were forced to have sexual intercourse.” “And the rates of drug, alcohol and tobacco use are more than twice as high in abused girls as in other girls the same age. A study published last July in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that more than a third of the 920 students questioned were victims of emotional and physical abuse by romantic partners before they started college.” (“Responding to Dangerous Teen Dating,” The Journal of Student Ministries, March/April 2009, p11) ______________________ “SEX AND TECH” The survey of those ages 13-26 was conducted by TRU, a global leader in research on teens and 20somethings. The survey was fielded online to a total of 1,280 respondents—653 teens (ages 13-19) and 627 young adults (ages 20-26) –between September 25, 2008 and October 3, 2008. Note: Unless otherwise stated, teen means ages 13-19 and young adult mean ages 20-26. How many teens say they have sent/posted nude or semi-nude pictures or video of themselves? -
20% of teens overall 22% of teen girls 18% of teen boys 11% of young teen girls (ages 13-16)
How many young adults are sending or posting nude or semi-nude images of themselves? -
33% of young adults overall 36% of young adult women 31% of young adult men
How many teens are sending or posting sexually suggestive messages? -
39% of all teens 37% of teen girls 40% of teen boys 48% of teens say they have received such messages
How many young adults are sending or posting sexually suggestive messages? -
59% of all young adults
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56% of young adult women 62% of young adult men 64% of young adults say they have received such messages
Five things to think about before pressing send: 1. Don’t assume anything you send or post is going to remain private. Your messages and images will get passed around, even if you think they won’t: 40% of teens and young adults say they have had a sexually suggestive message (originally meant to be private) shown to them and 20% say they have shared such a message with someone other than the person whom is was originally meant. 2. There is no changing your mind in cyberspace—anything you send or post will never truly go away. Something that seems fun and flirty and is done on a whim will never really die. Potential employers, college recruiters, teachers, coaches, parents, friends, enemies, strangers and others may all be able to find your past posts, even after you delete them. And it is nearly impossible to control what other people are posting about you. Think about it: Even if you have second thoughts and delete a racy photo, there is no telling who has already copied that photo and posted it elsewhere. 3. Don’t give in to the pressure to do something that makes you uncomfortable, even in cyberspace. More than 40% of teens and young adults (42% total, 47% of teens, 38% of young adults) say “pressure from guys” is a reason girls and women send and post sexually suggestive messages and images. More than 20% of teens and young adults (22% total, 24% teens, 20% young adults) say “pressure from friends” is a reason guys send and post sexually suggestive messages and images. 4. Consider the recipients reaction. Just because a message is meant to be fun doesn’t mean the person who gets it will see it that way. Four in ten teen girls who have sent sexually suggestive content did so “as a joke” but many teen boys (29%) agree that girls who send such content are “expected to date or hook up in real life.” It’s easier to be more provocative or outgoing online, but whatever you write, post or send does contribute to the real-life impression your making. 5. Nothing is truly anonymous. Nearly one in five young people who send sexually suggestive messages and images, do so to people they only know online (18% total, 15% teens, 19% young adults). It is important to remember that even if someone only knows you by your screen name, online profile, phone number or email address, that they can probably find you if they try hard enough. How do teens and young adults feel about sending/posting sexually suggestive content?
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75% of teens and 71% of young adults say sending sexually suggestive content “can have serious negative consequences. Yet, 39% of teens and 59% of young adults have sent or posted sexually suggestive emails or text messages—and 20% of teens and 33% of young adults have sent/posted nude or semi-nude images of themselves.
How many teens and young adults say they have been shown nude/semi-nude content originally meant for someone else? -
38% of teen girls and 39% of teen boys say they have had sexually suggestive text messages or emails—originally meant for someone else—shared with them. 25% of teen girls and 33% of teen boys say they have had nude or semi-nude images—originally meant for someone else—shared with them. 37% of young adult women and 47% of young adult men have had sexually suggestive text messages or emails—intended for someone else—shared with them. 24% of young adult women and 40% of young adult men say they have had nude or semi-nude images—originally meant for someone else—shared with them.
Does sending sexually suggestive text and images affect what happens in real life? -
22% of teens and 28% of young adults say they are personally more forward and aggressive using sexually suggestive words and images than they are in “real life.” 38% of teens and 40% of young adults say exchanging sexually suggestive content makes dating or hooking up with others more likely. 29% of teens and 24% of young adults believe those exchanging sexually suggestive content are “expected” to date or hook up.
Why do teens and young adults send or post sexually suggestive content? -
51% of teen girls say pressure from a guy is a reason girls send sexy messages or images; only 18% of teen boys cited pressure from female counterparts as a reason. 23% of teen girls and 24% of teen boys say they were pressured by friends to send or post sexual content.
Among teens who have sent sexually suggestive content: -
66% of teen girls and 60% of teen boys say they did so to be “fun or flirtatious” – their most common reason for sending sexy content. 52% of teen girls did so as a “sexy present” for their boyfriend. 44% of both teen girls and teen boys say they sent sexually suggestive messages or images in response to such content they received. 40% of teen girls said they sent sexually suggestive messages or images as “a joke”. 24% of teen girls say they sent/posted sexually suggestive content to “feel sexy”. 12% of teen girls felt “pressured” to send sexually suggestive messages or images.
Among young adults who have sent sexually suggestive content: -
72% of young adult women and 70% of young adult men say they did so to be “fun or flirtatious”.
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59% of young adult women sent/posted sexually suggestive content as a “sexy present” for their boyfriend. 41% of young adult women and 51% of young adult men say they sent sex messages or images in response to such content they received.
5 Tips to help parents talk to their kids about sex and technology: 1. Talk to your kids about what they are doing in cyberspace. Just as you need to talk openly and honestly with your kids about real life sex and relationships, you also want to discuss online and cell phone activity. Make sure your kids fully understand that messages or pictures they send over the internet or their cell phones are not truly private or anonymous. Also make sure they know that others might forward their pictures or messages to people they do not know or want to see them, and that school administrators and employers often look at online profiles to make judgments about potential students/employees. It’s essential that your kids grasp the potential short-term and longterm consequences of their actions. 2. Know who your kids are communicating with. Of course it’s a given that you want to know who your children are spending time with when they leave the house. Also do your best to learn who your kids are spending time with online and on the phone. Supervising and monitoring your kids’ whereabouts in real life and in cyberspace doesn’t make you a nag; it’s just a part of your job as a parent. Many young people consider someone a “friend” even if they’ve only met online. What about your kids? 3. Consider limitations on electronic communication. The days of having to talk on the phone in the kitchen in front of the whole family are long gone, but you can still limit the time your kids spend online and on the phone. Consider, for example, telling your teen to leave the phone on the kitchen counter when they’re at home and to take the laptop out of their bedroom before they go to bed, so they won’t be tempted to long on or talk to friends at 2 a. m. 4. Be aware of what your teens are posting publicly. Check out your teen’s MySpace, Facebook and other public online profiles from time to time. This isn’t snooping—this is information your kids are making public. If everyone else can look at it, why can’t you? Talk with them specifically about their own notions of what is public and what is private. Your views may differ but you won’t know until you ask, listen and discuss. 5. Set expectations. Make sure you are clear with your teen about what you consider appropriate “electronic” behavior. Just as certain clothing is probably off-limits or certain language is unacceptable in your house, make sure you let your kids know what is and is not allowed online either. And give reminders of those expectations from time to time. It doesn’t mean you don’t trust your kids, it just reinforces that you care about them enough to be paying attention. About the Survey Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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This survey was fielded online to a total of 1,280 respondents—653 teens (ages 13-19) and 627 young adults (ages 20-26) between September 25, 2008 and October 3, 2008. It was conducted by TRU, a global leader in research on teens and 20-somethings. (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, “Sex and Tech: Results from a Survey of Teens and Young Adults,” Cosmogirl.com, December 10, 2008, http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/ sextech/PDF/SexTech_Summary.pdf ______________________ “SEX AND THE EVANGELICAL TEEN” “Statistically, evangelical teens tend to have sex first at a younger age, 16.3, compared to liberal Protestants, who tend to lose their virginity at 16.7. And young evangelicals are far more likely to have had three or more sexual partners (13.7 percent) than non-evangelical (8.9 percent).” “These are the findings of sociologist Mark Regnerus, himself a Christian, published in his new book Forbidden Fruit: Sex & Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007).” “Some 80 percent of teenagers who say they have been ‘born again’ agree that sex outside of marriage is morally wrong. Still, as many as two-thirds of them violate their own beliefs in their actual behavior.” “Churches used to teach and exemplify self-control, the necessity of keeping one’s emotions in check, the discipline of self-denial and mortification of the flesh. Today the typical evangelical church, in its example and practice, cultivates ‘letting go,’ emotionalism, self-fulfillment, and an odd religious sensuality.” “An encouraging finding of Regnerus is that the 16 percent of American teenagers who say that their faith is ‘extremely important to their lives’ are living chastely.” “Evidently, many ‘evangelical’ and ‘born again’ teenagers still need to be evangelized. They need to be brought closer to Christ, so that a growing faith can bear fruit in better conduct.” “Today’s culture postpones marriage while stretching celibacy to the breaking point.” “But this would be better than the current hypocrisy and guilt.” (Gene Edward Veith, “Sex and the Evangelical Teen,” World Magazine, August 11, 2007, http://www.worldmag.com/articles/13208) ______________________ “SEXUAL ACTIVITY AND DEPRESSION” “HOOKED: NEW SCIENCE ON HOW CASUAL SEX IS AFFECTING OUF CHILDREN” “…sexually active teen girls were shown to be three times as likely to report that they are depressed… Sexually active boys are more than twice as likely to report depression... Sexually active girls are three Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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times as likely as non-sexually active girls to have attempted suicide… sexually active boys are seven times as likely as non-sexually active boys to have attempted suicide.” “The Spring 2006 American College Health Association Survey reported that 38 percent of male students and 47 percent of female students felt so depressed during the previous year that it was sometimes hard for them to function.” “Almost as telling was the finding of the same report that 54.6 percent of male students and 66.7 percent of female students felt that ‘things were hopeless’ at some point in the past year.” (Freda McKissic Bush, “Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex is Affecting Our Chidlren,” Chicago: Northfield Publishing, 2008) ______________________ “SEXUALLY ACTIVE GIRLS” “Girls who become sexually active before 17 are 70% more likely to experience a crisis pregnancy in later life and 300% more likely to procure an abortion in their lifetime than those who wait until they are older, finds an Irish Crisis Pregnancy Agency study. The survey found 14.9% of Irish men and 7.9% of women first engaged in sex why they were under 16.59% of women and 37% of men regretted it. (LifeSite News 4/11/08)” (Gary D. Foster, “Religious Market Update,” The FOSTER Letter, 2008) ______________________ “STATISTICS ON PORN & SEX ADDICTION”
“Average age for first time contact with pornography is around 9 years old. Average age for seeking help is 30-35 years old. (Estherministries.org, 2002)” “76% of all email is unsolicited, and 48% of it contains a pornographic message. (American Family Association, www.afa.net)”
“Sexual Addiction” “The National Council on Sexual Addiction Compulsivity estimated that 6%-8% of Americans are sex addicts, which is 18 million – 24 million people.” “25 million Americans visit cyber-sex sites between 1-10 hours per week. Another 4.7 million in excess of 11 hours per week. (MSNBC/Stanford/Duquesne Study, Washington Times, 1/26/2000” “One out of every 6 women, including Christians, struggles with an addiction to pornography. (Today’s Christian Woman, September/October 2003)” “‘More than 80% of women who have this addiction take it offline,’ says Marnie Ferree. ‘Women, far more than men, are likely to act out their behaviors in real life, such as having multiple partners, casual sex, or affairs.’ (Today’s Christian Woman, September/October 2003)” “Christians & Porn” “Fifty-one percent (51%) of pastors say cyber-porn is a possible temptation. Thirty-seven percent (37%) say it is a current struggle. (Christianity Today, Leadership Survey, December 2001)” “Nearly eighteen percent (17.8%) of all ‘born again’ Christian adults in America have visited a sexually oriented website. (Zogby survey conducted for Focus on the Family, 2000)” Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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“Sixty-three percent (63%) of men attending ‘Men, Romance & Integrity Seminars’ admit to struggling with porn in the past year. Two-thirds (66%) are in church leadership and 10% are pastors. (Pastor’s Family Bulletin, Focus on the Family, March 2000)” “One in seven calls to Focus on the Family’s Pastoral Care Hotline is about Internet Pornography. (Pastor’s Family Bulletin, Focus on the Family, March 2000)” “Forty-seven percent (47%) of Christians admit that pornography is a major problem in their homes. (Internet Filter Review, ‘Pornography Statistics 2003’)” “1 in 5 born-again Christians believe that viewing magazines with nudity and sexually explicit pictures is morally acceptable. (Barna Research Group, ‘Morality Continues to Decay,’ 11/3/2003)” “Thirty-six percent (36%) of Christians say co-habitation is morally acceptable, and 39% define sexual fantasies as morally acceptable. (Barna Research Group, ‘Mortality Continues to Decay,’ 11/3/2003)”
“Children & Pornography” “The U.S. Customs Service estimates that there are more than 100,000 websites offering child pornography – which is illegal, worldwide. (Red Herring Magazine, 1/18/02)” “Of the 3 million unique users under seventeen that visited adult sites in September of 2000, 21.2% of them were under the age of 14. (eStatNews, 1/9/01)” “More than 20,000 images of child pornography are posted on the Internet every week. (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, 10/8/03)” “There has been a 345% increase in child pornography sites from 2/2001 – 7/2001. (N2H2 press release, 8/01)” “In 1998 the FBI opened up 700 cases dealing with online pedophilia, most for posting child pornography. By 2000 that figure quadrupled to 2,856 cases. (Source: The Web’s Dark Secret. Newsweek. March 19, 2001)” “One in five children who use computer chat rooms have been approached over the Internet by pedophiles. (Detective Chief Superintendent Kith Akerman, Telegraph.co.uk January 2002)” “26 popular children’s characters, such as Pokemon, My Little Pony, and Action Man, revealed thousands of links to porn sites. 30% were hard-core. (Envisional 2000)” “Pornographers disguise their sites (i.e. ‘stealth sites’) with common brand names, including Disney, Barbie, ESPN, etc., to entrap children. (Cyveillance Study, March 1999)” “The Kaiser Family Foundation recently released results from a survey conducted with teenagers. Some of their findings included the following:” o “40% of guys and 32% of girls have had oral sex.” o “42% of guys and 33% of girls have had intercourse.” o “40% of guys age 15-17 have had 2-5 partners.” o “Just fewer than 40% of girls age 15-17 have had 2-5 partners.” o “33% of guys and 23% of girls say they feel some or a lot of pressure to have sex.” o “18% of guys and 33% of girls have had oral sex to avoid having intercourse.” “Internet Pornography” “Sex is the #1 searched for topic on the Internet (Dr. Robert Weiss, Sexual Recovery Institute, Washington Times, 1/26/2000)” “Nine out of 10 children (90%) aged between eight and 16 have viewed pornography on the Internet. In most cases, the sex sites were accessed unintentionally when a child, often in the process of doing homework, used a seemingly innocent sounding word to seraph for information or pictures. (London School of Economics, January 2002)” Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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“43% of children said they do not have rules about Internet Use in their homes. (Time/CNN Poll, 200)” “In April 2001, there were 22.9 million unique visitors to porn sites. (Neilsen/Net Ratings, Inc.)” “Estimates for the number of X-rated sites on the net range from 20,000 to 7 million. (CNET.com, ‘Sex on the Web,’ April 28, 1999)” “60% of all website visits are sexual in nature. (MSNBC Survey 2000)” “Over 28 million new pornographic web pages appeared in the month of July 2003 alone! (N2H2 Incorporated, 2004)” “The number of pornographic web pages now tops 260 million, a growth rate of nearly 20-fold since 1998. (N2H2 Incorporated, ‘N2H2 Reports Number of Pornographic Web Pages…’ 2004)” “70% of employees admit to viewing or sending adult-oriented personal email at work. (Source: NFO Worldwide)” “62% of parents of teenagers are unaware that their children have accessed objectionable websites. (Source: Yankelovich Partners Study)” “Analysts from Forrester Research say that sex sites on the Web generate at least $1 billion a year in revenue. (Wall Street Meets Pornography, New York Times, 10/23/00)”
“Internet Porn Statistics (Source: Familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html)” “Pornographic websites: 4.2 million (12% of total websites)” “Pornographic pages: 372 million” “Daily pornographic search engine requests: 68 million (25% of total search engine requests)” “Daily pornographic emails: 2.5 billion (8% of total emails)” “Average daily pornographic emails/user: 4.5 per internet user” “Monthly Pornographic downloads (Peer-to-peer): 1.5 billion (35% of all downloads)” “Daily Gnutella ‘child pornography’ requests: 116 thousand” “Websites offering illegal child pornography: 100 thousand” “Sexual solicitations of youth made in chat rooms: 89%” “Youths who received sexual solicitation: 20%” “Worldwide visitors to pornographic web sites: 72 million annually” (“Statistics on Porn & Sex Addiction,” Be Broken, November 6, 2006; www.bebroken.com/bbm/resources/articles/stats.shtml) ______________________ “STUDY: 1 IN 5 TEENS ENGAGING IN ‘TECH” SEX” One in 5 teenagers say they've electronically sent or posted online nude or semi-nude images of themselves, which may be fueling a more casual attitude toward sex, according to a "Sex and Tech" survey released this week by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com. About 22 percent of teen girls, including 11 percent of those between the ages of 13 and 16, and 18 percent of teen boys say they’ve shared racy photos of themselves and these racy images are also getting passed around: One-third (33 percent) of teen boys and one-quarter (25 percent) of teen girls say they have had nude/semi-nude images -- originally meant to be private -- shared with them, the online survey of 1,280 teens and young adults found. Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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The study also found that 15 percent of teens who have sent sexually suggestive content such as text messages, email, photographs or video say they have done so with someone they only know online. Teens also said that hiding behind technology makes them bolder. Nearly one-quarter (22 percent of teens) said technology makes them more forward and aggressive. Thirty-eight percent of teens said that exchanging sexy content makes dating or hooking up with others more likely and 29 percent believe that by exchanging sexy content you are "expected" to date or hook up. (“Study: 1 in 5 Teens Engaging in ‘Tech’ Sex,” FOXNews.com, December 11, 2008, http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,465365,00.html) ______________________ “STUDY FINDS 1 IN 4 US TEENS HAS A STD” “At least one in four teenage American girls has a sexually transmitted disease, suggests a first-of-its-kind federal study that startled some adolescent-health experts.” “Among those who admitted having sex: 40 percent had an STD.” “The overall STD rate among girls in the study was 26 percent, which translates to more than 3 million girls nationwide, researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. They released the results Tuesday at an STD prevention conference in Chicago.” “Sexuality is still a very taboo subject in our society,’ she said. ‘Teens tell us that they can’t make decisions in the dark and that adults aren’t properly preparing them to make responsible decisions.’” “Disease rates were significantly higher among black girls – nearly half had at least one STD, versus 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-Americans.” (Lindsey Tanner, “Study Finds 1 in 4 US Teens Has a STD,” ABC News, 11 March 2008, http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0308/502964.html.) ______________________ “TEEN BOYS” “44% – Percentage of teen boys surveyed who said they’ve seen at least one nude photo of a female classmate online or via cell phone.” (Alex Altman, Harriet Barovick, Gilbert Cruz, Alyssa Fetini, Madison Gray, Kate Pickert, Frances Romero, M.R. Stephey and Claire Suddath,“Teen Boys,” TIME, April 13, 2009, p13) ______________________ “THE MEDICAL INSTITUTE’S STATEMENT ON HPV VACCINE” “Scientific evidence on immunization with the quadrivalent vaccine suggests that it” “Substantially reduces the risk of pre-cancer and caner of the cervix caused by HPV types of 16 & 18 (responsible ~ 90% of all genital warts in the US)” Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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“Substantially reduces the risk of genital warts caused by HPV types 6 & 11 (responsible for ~ 90% of all genital warts in the US)” “Is cost effective when administered to adolescent females” “However, there is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine” “Reduces the risk for cervical cancers caused by other HPV types (responsible for ~30% of all cervical cancers in the US)” “Reduces the risk of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs)” “Offers any protection against the other consequences of nonmarital sexual activity such as pregnancy and emotional damage.”
“Furthermore,” “Currently the duration of immunity following immunization is unknown” “The role of the vaccine for males is uncertain” “Therefore we,” “Promote abstinence for unmarried persons as a primary method to prevent pregnancy, STIs including HIV, and the emotional consequences of sexual activity.” “Promote monogamy as a primary method to prevent STIs including HIV” “Also support the development and widespread use of vaccines against HPV and other STIs” “Encourage further research into the duration of immunity and the optimal timing of immunization” “Recommend continued regular health screening and counseling including pelvic examinations, Pap tests, and appropriate STI screening.” (“The Medical Institute’s Statement on HPV Vaccine,” The Medical Institute, November 8, 2006; www.medinstitute.org) ______________________ “THE RISE OF ‘SEXTING’” “The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reported last month that a survey of 1,280 teens and young adults found that 20 percent of the teens said they had sent or posted nude or seminude photos or videos of themselves. That number was slightly higher for teenage girls—22 percent—versus boys—18 percent.” (“The Rise of 'Sexting',” The Journal of Student Ministries, March/April 2009, p12) ______________________ “TOO YOUNG” “An alarming study from the Univ. of Texas School of Public Health shows some children younger than 12 are involved in risky sexual behavior. The study found 12% of the students had already engaged in vaginal sex by age 12, 7.9% in oral sex, 6.5% in anal sex and 4% in all three types of intercourse. 25% of the sexually active children had 4 or more partners. Licensed counselor Steve Earll reports eary sexual involvement often leads to addictive behavior and can also be considered sexual abuse. (CitizenLink.com 4/13/09).” (Gary Foster, “Too Young,” Religious Market Update, April 25, 2009, p4; www.garydfoster.com) ______________________ Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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“TYRA ‘SHOCKED’ BY RISKY TEEN SEX” “More than 10,000 teenage girls and young women took part in an anonymous survey over the summer on TyraShow.com, the Web site of “The Tyra Banks Show.”
“On average, girls are losing their virginity at 15 years of age.” “14 percent of teens who are having sex say they’re doing it at school.” “52 percent of survey respondents say they do not use protection when having sex.” “One in three says she fears having a sexually transmitted disease.” “24 percent of teens with STDs say they still have unprotected sex.” “One in five girls says she wants to be a teen mom.” “About 50 percent acknowledge that they’ve hit someone.” “One out of three teens has tried drugs.”
(Laura T. Coffey, “Tyra ‘Shocked’ By Risky Teen Sex,” MSNBC.com, November 14, 2008, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27706917/print/1/displaymode/1098) ______________________
Teen Sexual Activity – Research 2006 to present
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