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 sexually 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. This paper will be broken into two parts; part one of which will deal with the probable causes that push teenagers to early sexual relationships on teeenagers">early sex and part two which will deal with the effects of early teenage sex. PART I: THE CAUSES One of the most important factors that encourage teenagers to start exploring sex is the society. In the society we live in today, sex is the number one favored topic.
The Term Paper on Hallucinogenic Drugs In Modern Society part 1
Hallucinogenic Drugs in Modern Society Humans are involved with hallucinogens since thousands of years. The use of Hallucinogenic Drugs is not limited to particular area. It has been extensively consumed in all over the world. Several modern intellectuals think that ancient Hindus used hallucinogenic substance for purposes of religious ritual and elation. It is well documented that Chinese used ...
From home to school, in the malls, in the theaters, and almost everywhere else that teenagers mostly frequent, it will be seen that sex is always been advertised as the cool thing. Take for instance the school, the coolest or the most hype boys and girls any given school are those who openly express their sexuality, for example the cheerleaders who are always clad in very skimpy outfits. In relation to effects of society, a question that should also be asked is that do we really need sex education in the schools? The answer is no. Sex education is now given in most American schools, public and private, from grades 2 to 12. Teachers are told to give the technical aspects of sex education without telling the students about moral values, how to make the right decisions, and abstinence. Even as late as 1993, a proposal in the New Jersey Legislature that required school sex-ed programs to stress abstinence provoked fierce opposition from establishment groups, ranging from the New Jersey Education Association to the League of Women Voters. “This bill not only pushes New Jersey back to the Victorian era, it hurls the state all the way back into the Middle Ages, when chastity belts were considered the effective method of preventing pregnancies, (Maggie Gallagher).
Private Schools Public Education School
Private Schools The first position of chapter three is supportive of private schools. This position feels that private schools prevent the public schools from having a total monopoly over education by offering the community an alternative choice. This choice also produces competition with public schools for student enrollment. This position views public schools as something a student must accept ...
After describing the male and female anatomy, and reproduction, the main emphasis is on the prevention of venereal diseases and teenage pregnancy.
This has now led to some schools having to start dispensing free condoms and contraceptives to students who go to the schools health clinics. Sex education as promoted by some educators is devoid of morality in many ways unacceptable to our value system, and still has not helped decrease the teenage incidence of sexually transmitted diseases or teenage pregnancy. All sex education in schools has led to is simply showing teenagers how to have sex safely. Another important factor that contributes to teenagers having early sex is peer pressure. One of the most common issues that affect adolescents behavior is concern with peer approval. Both in sexual behavior and in all other areas of behavior, teenagers strive to attain social acceptance by their peers, which is common at the stage in which teenagers are. The desire to be loved or to love may be a factor which results in the decision to be sexually intimate. (Margaret-Ann Corbett, 125).
This motivation for acceptance within a social group can be a very strong driving force that pushes teenagers to start having sex as the notion of since everyone is doing it has been instilled in their heads. Adolescents who have sexual intercourse at this stage often do so out of the need to prove to themselves that they are lovable and acceptable. Also related to the issue of teenage sex due to peers is the lack of good communication between parents and teenagers, and the wanted independence by teenagers. Adolescents often prove their parents lack of control over them by initiating behaviors that are forbidden such as sexual intercourse. When there is no good communication between parents and teenagers, teenagers turn to their peers for advice on most issues affecting them. And when questions about sex arise, instead of talking to their parents or a trusted adult, rather teenagers talk to their friends about sexual matters, and the unfortunate reality sets in as the message they receive often very clear yet terribly misguided: Sex is an accepted and expected part of any relationship. 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 Term Paper on Sex in the Media
Anyone who turns on the TV today can see that sex is a big factor in TV shows, commercials and just about everything on TV. Even shows that are intended for young children have some innuendos and even show kissing. The media in America has changed and continues to change how the youth and children of America view sex and its value. This paper will use examples of current shows in the media is ...
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 wide range scope the media covers, the media keeps gaining an ever increasing amount of influence in teenager ….
