Many teens have sex because they think “ everyone else” is having sex. Fifty-three percent of high school students have not had sexual intercourse. Teenagers think if their friends are having sex then they have to have sex as well to fix in with the group. Teens who have sex are at high risk for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Fourteen percent of high school students report having had sex with four or more partners. Which I think is a very high number because by the time you get into your late twenties that number would double. The more sexual partners a person has over time, the more likely he or she is to get a sexually transmitted disease.
The media also plays a big role in teens decision to have sex. It seems like every time you turn on the television something portraying to sex is being displayed. Teens who see and hear a lot about sex in the media may be more than twice as likely to have early sexual intercourse as those who are rarely exposed to sexual content. Shows that are suppose to be for teens shows a whole lot of sex moments. The songs they play on the radio is always talking about some type of sexual intercourse.
Teens need to be aware of the consequences of having sex. Teens don’t pay attention to this and its something that is very important to think about. We need to educate more teens about what problems they could face when they start having sex at a young age. Most teens get pregnant at a young age. If they knew more of what could happen to them then maybe they would think twice about the deciding to have sex.
It is sad to say, but the increase in teens having sexual intercourse has increased violently over the past five years. There are some teens that make the choice to hold off, but that percentage is dangerously low. Teens now a days see sex as being cool and being in the crowd. The consequences within having sex is irrelevant to them. Schools and parents can continue to talk about what may happen if teens are not knowledgeable about having sex such as, early pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases. But it is up to these teens to take charge over the choices that they make.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this article about modern teens and the consequences of having sex. I think that teens should be able to have sex as long as they use protection. If teens are safe about sex, like using condoms, birth control, and getting tested, then they probably won’t get a STD or have a baby. If teens are not having safe sex, then they should be prepared to be mothers and fathers and change their life for the baby. I agree that the media encourages kids to have sex at a young age, like in TV shows and songs. I think media has a bad affect on teens, so the TV shows and the songs should change the message they are sending to the teens. People will always listen to music and watch TV, so we need to be more cautious when watching TV shows and listening to music.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post Jameelah, teens should be made more aware of the consequences of early sex, but they also need to be aware that the consequences not only affects themselves but their parents & families as well. I mean what teen these days are responsible enough to handle the consequences if they can barely take care or provide for themselves. I think that teens are so caught up into the stereotypes that condoms prevent diseases, birth control pills stop you from getting pregnant, and getting tested every 6 months or so will reassure that these things won't happen. But the fact of the matter is; condoms are intended to prevent (pregnancy, HIV/AIDS) and other STD's so it's not 100% guarenteed to do that, condoms break, some teens rely on the other partner to be STD free so they don't have to use a condom which may not be true in some case, teens are forgetfull so there's a possibility that pills will be missed, and sometimes it's hard to detect certain diseases right away which will make you think that because one test result came back negative that everythings cool, "I can keep on having sex", but the next results came back positive then your confused with the assuption that everything was ok.....so now what do you do!!! Most teens have the slightess clue as to what they should do other than hide it from their parents and friends that they contracted an STD or are/gotten someone pregnant. Alot of teens have sex cause of social status reasons but the outcome of the statuses are the total opposite of what they thought it would be. With the assumptions that sex will make you appear to be more popular in social status for both boys & girls, or how sex is portrayed as cool amongst teens when it comes to the media, but the reality is that sex improves the social status of boys but jeopardizes it for girls. A prime example of double standards. Good job & good post Jameelah!!
ReplyDeleteJameelah your blog about teen sex is not only thought worthy but relevant. I think our teenagers of today need to know the importance between being old enough to have sex and mature enough to have sex. Old enough implies being able to perform the act, where maturity encompasses the responsibility and consequences of such acts. If more teenagers read your blog maybe some of them would reconsider such dangerous consequences. Great job.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post Jameelah, teens should be made more aware of the consequences of early sex, but they also need to be aware that the consequences not only affects themselves but their parents & families as well. I mean what teen these days are responsible enough to handle the consequences if they can barely take care or provide for themselves. I think that teens are so caught up into the stereotypes that condoms prevent diseases, birth control pills stop you from getting pregnant, and getting tested every 6 months or so will reassure that these things won't happen. But the fact of the matter is; condoms are intended to prevent (pregnancy, HIV/AIDS) and other STD's so it's not 100% guarenteed to do that, condoms break, some teens rely on the other partner to be STD free so they don't have to use a condom which may not be true in some case, teens are forgetfull so there's a possibility that pills will be missed, and sometimes it's hard to detect certain diseases right away which will make you think that because one test result came back negative that everythings cool, "I can keep on having sex", but the next results came back positive then your confused with the assuption that everything was ok.....so now what do you do!!! Most teens have the slightess clue as to what they should do other than hide it from their parents and friends that they contracted an STD or are/gotten someone pregnant. Alot of teens have sex cause of social status reasons but the outcome of the statuses are the total opposite of what they thought it would be. With the assumptions that sex will make you appear to be more popular in social status for both boys & girls, or how sex is portrayed as cool amongst teens when it comes to the media, but the reality is that sex improves the social status of boys but jeopardizes it for girls. A prime example of double standards. Good job & good post Jameelah!!
ReplyDeletei really agree with you on most everything you said but i dont agree with you when you said teenager think that if their friend are having sex then they have to have sex as well to fix in the group thats really not true because i was in a group of 14 people only 4 of us wasnt having sex and i wasnt even think about it. and i soon as i came here i have sex with my second boyfriend and my first boyfriend i stayed with him for 4years. we never have sex we do kissed but sex wasnt the answer for us that day. you should say most of teenager who having sex now day its because they want to fit in the group they are belong. i really like you blog. great job.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you're saying. The media plays a huge role influencing teenagers with sex. Television wasn't always like this. We can probably blame "Dawson's Creek" for being the first show to address teenage sexual issues. Eventually, every network started making spicy teen shows because teenagers love horrible television and ratings go through the roof. If only America was more like Amsterdam. I wonder if they broadcast all of our terrible teen sex shows in the Netherlands.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the high rate of teen pregnancies and STDs are a huge issue. I do believe that teenagers get a lot of their ideas about sex from television and the media is often blamed for this. However, the media is not responsible for raising teens. It is the parents' responsibility to monitor what their child is watching. The parent must take their place and educate their child about sex and the consequences that come with unsafe sex. They need to tell them about what they are exposed to when it comes to sex so that if their teen does decide to make that choice, he or she can be prepared and make the neccessary steps to be safe.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that teens need more education in regards to sex. You make a very good point about the media and how it inundates the viewer/listener with, oftentimes overt, sexual content. Your first media clip was a perfect example of this, a 'family' network program promoting sexual promiscuity.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you about the need for an increased awareness through education regarding the potentially life-changing ramifications of being sexually active. In a recent class discussion we watched a video that highlighted the positive effects of a well-educated teen population; predominately in European cultures the incidents of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases were greatly lower than those in the West. I would like to add however, that I feel the education of our teens or young adults should, first and foremost, begin in the home. The ‘family show’ highlighted in your video clip would not have been one I would have been allowed to watch as, I am quite sure, my parents would have strongly felt the content inappropriate.