Everybody can use a little helpful guidance in relationships. Where that advice comes from makes all the difference!This section will provide some help on developing the best relationships you can---relationships that are healthy, and positive!
Teen Statistics
teen sex, teen dating violence, sexually transmitted diseases, marriage and divorce
TEENS AND SEX
46% of all high school students have not had sexual intercourse.
The more sexual partners a person has over time, the more likely he or she is to get an STD.
By age 15, only 13% of teens have ever had sex. However, by the time they reach age 19, seven in 10 teens have engaged in sexual intercourse. 7
Many teens are waiting longer to have sex than they did in the past. 21
9 out of 10 teens say it would be easier for them to avoid sexual activity if they were able to have more open conversations with their parents. 21
The majority (59%) of sexually experienced teen females had a first sexual partner who was 1-3 years their senior. 7
Oral sex is now more common than sexual intercourse among teenagers.
Many teens think that if they have oral sex - but not sexual intercourse - they can't catch an STD.
Many STDs can be spread through oral sex.
10% percent of young women aged 18-24 who had sex before age 20 reported that their first sex was involuntary. The younger they were at first intercourse, the higher the proportion. 7
Most young people have sex for the first time at about age 17, but do not marry until their middle or late 20s. This means that young adults are at risk of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for nearly a decade. 8
12% of teen males and 10% of teen females have had heterosexual oral sex but not vaginal intercourse. 9
In 2007, 47.8% of high school students (grades 9-12) reported ever having had sexual intercourse, down from 54% in 1991. 16
Overall, male high school students (49.8%) were more likely than female students (45.9%) to have had sex. 16
Overall, male high school students (49.8%) were more likely than female students (45.9%) to have had sex. 16
In 2007, black high school students were more likely than Hispanic and white students to have ever had sex, 66.5% of black students, 52% of Hispanics, and 43.7% of whites. 16
14.9% of high school students reported four or more sexual partners in 2005. 16
Teen girls with older partners are more likely to be sexually active, less likely to use contraceptives, and more likely to face an
unintended pregnancy.
unintended pregnancy.
TEEN PREGNANCY
1 in 3 girls in the U.S. are estimated to get pregnant before they are twenty. 18
Teen mothers are now more likely than in the past to complete high school or obtain a GED, but they are still less likely than women who delay childbearing to go on to college. 15
Of girls who first have sex before age 15, almost half of them will get pregnant.
Teen parents have a hard time finishing high school, going on to college, getting a good job, and getting married. 18
The pregnancy rate among black teens decreased 40% between 1990 and 2000, more than the overall U.S. teen pregnancy rate declined during the same period (36%). 11
Two-thirds of all teen pregnancies occur among 18-19-year-olds. 11
82% of teen pregnancies are unplanned; they account for about one in five of all unintended pregnancies annually. 12
Teen pregnancy rates are much higher in the United States than in other developed countries, and twice as high as in England and Wales or Canada, and eight times as high as in the Netherlands or Japan. 13
10% of all U.S. births are to teens. 14
In 2005, there were 40.5 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19. The rate has dropped by 34% since 1991, when it was 62 per 1,000. 14
In 2005, 36.9% of all births were to unmarried women.
The 2005 birth rate for unmarried women in the highest in 65 years for which comparable national data are available. 14
Some teen pregnancies end in abortion.
Abortions can have physical and emotional complications
CELL PHONES & SEXTING
20% of teens ages 13-19 say they have been sent or posted online nude or semi – nude pictures or videos of themselves. 20
21% of teen girls and 39% of teen boys say they have engaged in "sexting" with someone they wanted to date or hook up with.
29% of teens believe those exchanging sexually suggestive content are “expected” to date or hook up.
51% of teen girls say pressure from a guy is a reason girls send sexy messages or images.
More than 20% of teens say that “pressure from friends” is a reason they send sexually suggestive messages and images. 20
Nothing sent electronically or posted online is ever anonymous. 20
There is no changing your mind after you send something electronically.
College recruiters, teachers, parents, potential employers and others may be able to find suggestive pictures posted online. 20
TEEN DATING VIOLENCE
About one in 11 teens reports being a victim of physical dating abuse each year.
1 in 5 female students reported being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner. 1
Both male and female teens are victims of teen dating violence.
40% of teen girls aged 14-17 reported knowing someone their age who has been hurt or hit by a boyfriend. 1
Only 3 % of teens report dating violence to a parent and/or an authority figure. 1
80% of teens regard verbal abuse as a serious issue for their age group.
Teen dating abuse most often takes place in the home of one of the partners.
Almost 70% of young women who have been raped knew their rapist either as a boyfriend, friend, or casual acquaintance.
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES
Of the 18.9 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) each year; 9.1 million (48%) occur among 15-24-year-olds. 10
Although 15-24-year-olds represent only one-quarter of the sexually active population, they account for nearly half of all new STIs each year.10
Most people who have a STD are not aware of it until they get tested. 19
65 million Americans have an STD that cannot be cured with medication. 19
Teenage girls get infected with STDs more easily than adults. 19
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections account for about half of STIs diagnosed among 15-24-year-olds each year.
HPV is extremely common, often asymptomatic and generally harmless. However, certain types, if left undetected and untreated, can lead to cervical cancer. 10
Each year, almost 750,000 women aged 15-19 become pregnant. 11
Overall, 75 pregnancies occur every year per 1,000 women aged 15-19; this rate has declined 36% since its peak in 1990. 11
Black women have the highest teen pregnancy rate (134 per 1,000 women aged 15-19), followed by Hispanics (131 per 1,000) and non-Hispanic whites (48 per 1,000). 11
Black women have the highest teen pregnancy rate (134 per 1,000 women aged 15-19), followed by Hispanics (131 per 1,000) and non-Hispanic whites (48 per 1,000). 11
MARRIAGE
In 2006, 67 percent of children lived with two married parents, down from 77 percent in 1980. 2
In 2006, nearly one quarter (23 percent) of children lived with only their mothers, 5 percent lived with only their fathers, and 5 percent lived with neither of their parents.2
In 2005, 37 percent of all births were to unmarried women. 2
The probability of a first marriage ending in separation or divorce within 5 years is 20 percent, but the probability of a premarital cohabitation breaking up within 5 years is 49 percent. 3
After 10 years, the probability of a first marriage ending is 33 percent, compared with 62 percent for cohabitations. 3
Recent findings indicate that two-thirds of all unhappy marriages are repaired within five years. 4
DIVORCE
Parental divorce reduces the likelihood that children will graduate from college, and achieve high-status jobs. 5
Parental divorce approximately doubles the odds that adult children will end up divorced. 5
One researcher determined that a single divorce costs state and federal governments about $30,000. 6
