In a national survey, nearly all teens (93%) said that they should be given a "strong message" to abstain from sex.
(The National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The Cautious Generation? Teens Tell Us About Sex, Virginity, and "The Talk," April 27, 2000).
Contrary to popular belief, most teens are actually NOT sexually active. Nationwide, less than half of students have had sexual intercourse during their lifetime.
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Ð United States, 2003. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 31, 2004).
Of those teens who are sexually active, most regret their choice and wish that they had waited.
(The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. "Not Just Another Thing To Do: Teens Talk About Sex, Regret and the Influence of Their Parents," June 30, 2000, and EDK Associates for Seventeen Magazine and the Ms. Foundation for Women. Teenagers Under Pressure, 1996).
The vast majority (87%) of teens aged 13 to 16, have not had sexual intercourse. Most (73%) have not been sexually intimate at all. Seventy-four percent say they have not had sex because they made a conscious decision not to.
(NBC News and PEOPLE Magazine poll surveying young teenagers about their intimate sexual attitudes and practices).
