Teenagers in the United States are experimenting with sexual activities more and more today than ever before, and the sad thing about this issue is that it is becoming common-place in our society, because it is not being frowned upon as it were just a couple of years ago. It is now a known fact that majority of high school aged boys and girls would have engaged in some sort of sexual activity by the time they graduate high school. "50% of girls and women aged 15 to 19 told the National Center for Health Statistics they had had sex, [...] 55% of single males ages 15 to 19 have had sex" (Maggie Gallagher). Also alarming, is the growing rate of children having sexual intercourse before they are of the age of thirteen. Stephanie Ann Sanders states "The problem of teenage pregnancy is considerably worse in the United States than in almost any other developed country. Studies show that birth rates for women under 20 are higher in the United States than in 29 other developed countries." (MICROSOFT ENCARTA ENCYCLOPEDIA 2000). Some sort of sexual connotation always surrounds teenagers, whether it is the television, radio, school, or even the Internet.

The price teenagers are paying for being s

In conclusion, since the causes and the effects of teenage sexuality have been looked at, the only thing left to do is to find a solution to this problem. Firstly, as regarding the issue of sex education been taught in our schools, it has been noted that just the teaching of the technical aspects of sex without telling the students about moral values, how to make the right decisions, and abstinence is not the right way to go about sex education. Sex education also has to stress the importance of abstinence. "This notion of stressing abstinence is equivalent to asking young people to 'just say no' to drugs."" (Maggie Gallagher). The parents of teenagers also have to pitch-in in the effort to combat teenage sexuality because believe it or not, children actually do listen when their parents talk to them. The parents also have to remember that having a talk about sex with their children is not a sex organ recital; they have to be able to discuss the effects of having sex with their children at the cognitive level that the child is at.

exually active greatly outweighs any advantages; the consequences of teenage sexuality cannot be overlooked by the society, as consequences such as diseases, and unplanned pregnancy have been known to have both short-term and long-term effects on teenagers. These consequences cannot even be thought about without first looking at what pushes teenagers to the notion of early sex. The society, peer pressure, and the media play the major part in gearing adolescents to finding out about, knowing, and finally engaging in sexual intercourse before they are both physically and mentally capable of handling the reality that accompanies sexual activities.

The single most important factor that influences teenagers to explore their sexuality is the media. "The media expose adolescents to the sexual scripting of behaviors they may not have observed elsewhere [...]. On prime time TV, the occurrence of premarital and extramarital sex far outnumbers sex between spouses, with the rate soaring to 24:1 in soap operas [...]. The rate is 32:1 in R-rated movies [...]. In action-adventure series, premarital sex and prostitution are the most frequent encounters [...]." (John R. Chapinanders). By catering to our basic sexual desires, the media can easily manipulate and adjust the attitudes and actions of its watchers, listeners, and readers. The teenagers of today seem to be the most easily manipulated age group by sexual connotations portrayed by the media due to their vulnerability for conformity. In the movies or on television, the actors and actresses make sex look easy, fun and glamorous. It appears to be something everyone is doing. On television shows like "Dawson's Creek", and "Gilmore Girls", sex is usually the major topic of the entire show. Whether it is guys and girls, guys and guys, girls and girls, or multiple persons of each sex, the sex act itself is a major conflict. Movies specifically aimed at the teenage audience, specifically known as "teen movies", base most of their story lines on relationships and sex between teenagers. For example movies, such as "Cruel Intentions", portray sex as a game. The main characters, who are supposed to be high school students, are placing bets on each other to see which one of them will have sex with some girl who is against the idea of premarital sex. As a result of the extensive and wid

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