{"id":36753,"date":"2013-06-16T19:52:51","date_gmt":"2013-06-16T23:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=36753"},"modified":"2013-06-17T10:11:13","modified_gmt":"2013-06-17T14:11:13","slug":"whos-the-greatest-influence-on-teens-decisions-about-sex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/whos-the-greatest-influence-on-teens-decisions-about-sex\/","title":{"rendered":"Who\u2019s the greatest influence on teens\u2019 decisions about sex?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy<\/a> annually surveys teenagers and adults in our nation. The Campaign interviews teens and adults, asking them questions about sex, birth control, teen pregnancy, and related topics. The survey has two main goals. The first is to assess and report on American opinion concerning teen pregnancy and related issues. The second goal is to use the surveys as a helpful addition to the behavioral data collected by the federal government.<\/p>\n

The latest data was collected in a report<\/a> released in August 2012, titled \u201cWith One Voice 2012: America\u2019s adults and teens sound off about teen pregnancy.\u201d One of the questions asked on the survey was, \u201cWhen it comes to your\/teens\u2019 decisions about sex, who is most influential?\u201d The results show 38% of teens aged 12-19 say parents are the most influential people when it comes to their decisions about sex. Friends come in second place with 22%, the media is 9%, religious leaders and siblings tie for 6%, and 4% of teens said teachers and educators.<\/p>\n

In a culture where teens are continually being exposed to sexual images in the media, it\u2019s encouraging to know that parents still hold the most power when it comes to impacting teens’ choices about sex. These results are consistent with all of the previous National Campaign surveys. The report states that overall closeness between parents and their children, shared activities, parental presence in the home, and parenting caring and concern all are associated with a reduced risk of early sex and teen pregnancy. Teens who are close to their parents and feel supported by them are more likely to delay sex, have fewer sexual partners, and use contraception more consistently.<\/p>\n

Another question posed to the teens and adults was, \u201cHow much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It would be much easier for teens to postpone sexual activity and avoid teen pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with their parents.” Eight-seven of teens age 12-19 and 90% of adults agreed with this statement. Although a majority of teens and adults agreed that it\u2019s helpful for parents to talk with their children openly about sex, 90% of teens surveyed and 88% of adults believe that parents often don\u2019t know what to say, how to say it, or when to start talking.<\/p>\n

CNN Health published an article<\/a> from the Mayo Clinic titled \u201cSex education: Talking to your teen about sex.\u201d The article shares a truthful statement: \u201cSex education basics may be covered in health class, but your teen might not hear \u2014 or understand \u2014 everything he or she needs to know to make tough choices about sex. That’s where you come in. Awkward as it may be, sex education is a parent’s responsibility.\u201d The article goes on to discuss ways parents can break the ice and bring up these topics. The author encourages parents to be honest and direct, to avoid lecturing, and to listen to their teens’ points of view. The article tells parent to reward their teens’ questions with affirming responses like \u201cI\u2019m glad you came to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a Focus on the Family article<\/a> titled \u201cTalking about Sex and Puberty,\u201d parents are advised to not wait to tell their children everything they know about sex during a single intense marathon session. <\/b>Focus on the Family\u00a0believes that doing so risks either waiting until it’s too late or dumping more in the child’s lap than he can process. They suggest gradually releasing information during many conversations over a period of several years. If a child asks questions a parent can\u2019t answer, parents should be honest and do research. Focus on the Family believes that parents will gain far more stature in their children’s eyes by showing candor than by bluffing.<\/p>\n

Here are some other compelling statistics from the National Campaign’s survey:<\/p>\n