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14 Younger The Sexual Behavior of Young
Adolescents

• New Analyses From
• The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
• May 2003

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This presentation covers three areas

• Why we should be concerned about sexual activity
  among young teens.
• Major findings from the 14 Younger report.
• Implications from the 14 Younger report.

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Why care about sexual activity among young
adolescents?

• Compared to delayed sexual activity, early sexual
  activity is linked to
• Greater number of partners
• Increased risk of teen pregnancy
• Increased risk of STDs
• Children are young adolescents are more likely to
  have health problems.

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Why care about sexual activity among young
adolescents?

• 81 of 12-14 year olds who have had sex wish they
  had waited.
• Parenting skills of very young teens are highly
  limited.
• An appreciable amount of sexual activity among
  youth 14 and younger runs afoul of state age of
  consent laws.

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14 Younger Major Findings

• Sexual Experience
• Approximately one in five adolescents has had
  sexual intercourse before his or her 15th
  birthday.
• Boys 14 and younger are slightly more likely to
  have had sex than girls the same age.

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14 Younger Major Findings

• Frequency of Sex
• Sex is sporadic.
• Most of those age 14 and younger who have had sex
  are not currently sexually active.
• For example, approximately half of sexually
  experienced 14-year-olds have had sex 0-2 times
  in the past year.

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14 Younger Major Findings

• Pregnancy
• Approximately one in seven sexually experienced
  14-year-old girls reports having been pregnant.
• That translates into about 20,000 pregnancies
  each year and 8,000 births.

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14 Younger Major Findings

• Pressure
• About one in ten girls who first have sex before
  age 15 describe it as non-voluntary.
• Many more describe it as relatively unwanted.
• Younger teen girls who are sexually experienced
  are more likely than older teens to say they
  wish theyd waited.

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14 Younger Major Findings

• Number of Partners
• Girls who first had sex at age 14 or younger had
  more sexual partners as a teenager, on average,
  than girls who first had sex at age 15 or older.
• Increased number of partners increases the risk
  of STDs and pregnancy.

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14 Younger Major Findings

• Contraception
• Between half and three-quarters of youth age
  12-14 report that they used contraception the
  first time they had sex.
• Slightly more than half of girls age 12-14 and
  about two thirds of boys say they used some form
  of contraception the most recent time they had
  sex.

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14 Younger Major Findings

• Opportunity
• Young teens seem to have the opportunity to have
  sex.
• One small area data set indicates that one-third
  of 12-year-olds and about half of 14-year-olds
  have been at a party without any adults in the
  house.

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14 Younger Major Findings

• Dating
• About half of those age 12-14 report having been
  on a date or having a romantic relationship in
  the past 18 months.
• Among those 14 and younger reporting a romantic
  relationship, about a quarter are with someone
  two or more years older --- girls far more than
  boys.
• Relationships with a partner who is older by two
  or more years --- compared with those with
  someone only slightly older, the same age, or
  younger --- are much more likely to include
  sexual intercourse.

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14 Younger Major Findings

• Other risky behaviors
• Sexually experienced teens were more likely than
  virgins to engage in other risky behaviors, such
  as smoking, illegal drugs, and drinking once a
  week or more.
• For example, 43 of sexually experienced teens
  said they had tried marijuana, compared with 10
  of virgins.

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14 Younger Major Findings

• Parents
• Parents are usually unaware that their young
  children have had sex.
• Only one-third of parents of sexually experienced
  14-year-olds believe that their child had had
  sex.
• Parents say they talk to their children a
  moderate amount about sex.
• Young adolescents report far fewer of such
  conversations.
• Parents are most likely to discuss STDs and least
  likely to discuss the social consequences of sex.

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14 Younger Implications

• There is reason to be concerned about early
  sexual activity.
• Early sex is more likely to be unwanted.
• Over time, girls who first have sex at an early
  age are more likely than those who delay to have
  more sexual partners, are at an increased risk of
  pregnancy, contracting an STD, and dropping out
  of school.
• Boys and girls who have sex at an early age are
  more likely than their peers who havent to use
  illegal drugs and alcohol and engage in other
  delinquent behavior.
• While early sex may not cause these outcomes, it
  does appear to be an early and important warning
  sign of risk.

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14 Younger Implications

• For many young people, sex doesnt always wait.
• Parents, program leaders, school officials,
  community leaders and others need to recognize
  that sex and dating are important issues for
  middle school age youth that cannot be ignored.

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14 Younger Implications

• Parents should be concerned about young teenagers
  dating, particularly dating someone much older.
• Because young teens who are dating ---
  particularly those dating someone at least two
  years older --- are more likely to be involved in
  sexual relationships, parents should discourage
  early, one-on-one dating.

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14 Younger Implications

• Parents should know where their children are,
  what they are doing, and with whom.
• Young teens seem to have opportunities to have
  sex.
• Recall that one-third of 12-year-olds and about
  half of 14-year-olds have been at a party without
  any adults in the house.

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14 Younger Implications

• Parents should communicate more with their young
  adolescents about sex, love, and relationships.
• Some parents are not talking to their children
  about these issues at all.
• While many parents report having had such
  conversations, far fewer young people say that
  such conversations actually occurred.

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14 Younger Implications

• Teaching middle school youth about how to resist
  and manage sexual pressure is appropriate.
• Many teens get into situation where they feel
  pressure to have sex and, because of their young
  age, may not be able to handle these situations
  effectively.

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14 Younger Implications

• Efforts to prevent teen pregnancy should include
  young adolescents.
• The data in this report clearly suggest that
  addressing sex and its consequences --- as well
  as the benefits and limitations of contraception
  cannot be put off until high school.

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14 Younger Implications

• We still have much to learn.
• While this report sheds light on the sexual
  behavior of young adolescents, it also makes
  clear there is still much we dont know.

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For more information

• Visit www.teenpregnancy.org