The Sex Talk: Mom and Dad Are Giving It Too Late

Study finds 40% of teens have sex before having 'the talk'
By Jen Paton,  Newser User
Posted Dec 7, 2009 12:42 PM CST
The Sex Talk: Mom and Dad Are Giving It Too Late
Some 40% of teenage girls said they hadn't talked with their parents about how to refuse sex before engaging in genital touching with boys.   (Shutterstock)

We may be letting awkwardness get the best of us: More than 40% of teens have had sex before their parents talked to them about it, finds a new study. Parents and teens from 141 families were quizzed separately on 24 sex-related issues: Forty percent of girls said they didn't talk about how to refuse sex before engaging in genital touching. Similarly, 70% of boys said they had not discussed how to use condoms with their parents before having intercourse—but only 50% of parents said they hadn’t discussed it with their sons, reports Time.

“Parents think they had a conversation, and the kids don't remember it at all," said a doctor. But kids who do talk with their parents are likely to delay sexual activity and play safe when they do. As for the right age to have the talk, "go earlier than you think," says the study's co-author.
(More premarital sex stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X