Anonymous wrote: The percentage of high school students who are currently sexually active (had sexual intercourse during the past three months) has decreased from 38% in 1991 to 30% in 2015. There is also a significant decrease from 2013 (34%).

This report is defining sexual activity as intercourse. What I think teachers are reporting is that kids nowadays are having oral sex or being otherwise sexually active, just not having intercourse. And it is these activities that seem to be much more prevalent. (Like, the motorboating PP described).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I'd prefer my child have self control. It's not hard.

If this is not so hard, then this should be a non issue for you and your child.

Condoms are available. Drugs are available as is unlimited icecream in the cafeteria. It is YOUR job as the PARENT to have a conversation with YOUR child about sex and contraception. It is perfectly acceptable for the school to have condoms available to all kids, but YOUR job as the parent to teach your kids your values and make choices based on your beliefs.

The average age an American looses his or her virginity is 17, with girls being slightly below that average and boys slightly above that average. You make YOUR family choices and instill YOUR values based on available info and reality. We dont need the school policing a list of who can grab a condom and who can't. That's just silly. Nobody is forcing these condoms into kids pockets.

Not worried about my kid getting an std but am worried about schools overstepping their role and attempting to inject personal opinion. The act of giving a c basically gives kids the impression that it is okay to have sex.

Actually, passing out condoms reinforces the notion that sex has consequences and if you are going to do it, you need to take steps to prevent disease and pregnancy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I'd prefer my child have self control. It's not hard.

If this is not so hard, then this should be a non issue for you and your child.

Condoms are available. Drugs are available as is unlimited icecream in the cafeteria. It is YOUR job as the PARENT to have a conversation with YOUR child about sex and contraception. It is perfectly acceptable for the school to have condoms available to all kids, but YOUR job as the parent to teach your kids your values and make choices based on your beliefs.

The average age an American looses his or her virginity is 17, with girls being slightly below that average and boys slightly above that average. You make YOUR family choices and instill YOUR values based on available info and reality. We dont need the school policing a list of who can grab a condom and who can't. That's just silly. Nobody is forcing these condoms into kids pockets.

Not worried about my kid getting an std but am worried about schools overstepping their role and attempting to inject personal opinion. The act of giving a c[ondom] basically gives kids the impression that it is okay to have sex.

Interestingly, the research data does not support this. Passing out condoms increases the rate of condom use but not the number of people engaging in sex. And abstinence-only programs do not decrease the number of people having sex.

It looks like adults can talk with teenagers about sex and support safer sexual practices in context without necessarily giving them the impression that it is okay or desirable to be having sex at their age.

If knowing the data would actually make a difference to someone's beliefs, I will dig up the studies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I'd prefer my child have self control. It's not hard.

If this is not so hard, then this should be a non issue for you and your child.

Condoms are available. Drugs are available as is unlimited icecream in the cafeteria. It is YOUR job as the PARENT to have a conversation with YOUR child about sex and contraception. It is perfectly acceptable for the school to have condoms available to all kids, but YOUR job as the parent to teach your kids your values and make choices based on your beliefs.

The average age an American looses his or her virginity is 17, with girls being slightly below that average and boys slightly above that average. You make YOUR family choices and instill YOUR values based on available info and reality. We dont need the school policing a list of who can grab a condom and who can't. That's just silly. Nobody is forcing these condoms into kids pockets.

Not worried about my kid getting an std but am worried about schools overstepping their role and attempting to inject personal opinion. The act of giving a c basically gives kids the impression that it is okay to have sex.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I'd prefer my child have self control. It's not hard.

But will your preference keep your kids from making their own decisions or experimenting? If self control was not hard there would be no need for this discussion in the first place.

Anonymous wrote:

As noted above and below, the stats don't back that up. If anything, teens are having *less* sex lately. They're just more comfortable talking about sex openly. But rest assured, kids were having it 22 years ago just as much, if not more.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosy_retrospection

Yep.

CDC YRBSS info:

"The new YRBS report shows mixed results regarding youth sexual risk behaviors. While teens are having less sex, condom use among currently sexually active students and HIV testing among all students has declined. The percentage of high school students who are currently sexually active (had sexual intercourse during the past three months) has decreased from 38% in 1991 to 30% in 2015. There is also a significant decrease from 2013 (34%). However, among high school students who are currently sexually active, condom use has declined from 63% in 2003 to 57 percent in 2015. This decline follows a period of increased condom use throughout the 1990s and early 2000s." --https://www.cdc.gov/features/yrbs/index.html

Preceding trend is also downward:

"Sexual Activity

How many teens are choosing not to have sex?

Based on the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) data, over half (59%) of all students in grades 9 to 12 indicated that they had not yet had sex. (3)

How many teens have had sex?

In 2015, 41% of high school students reported having sexual intercourse. (3)
Between 1991-2015, the proportion of students who ever had sexual intercourse decreased from 54% to 41%. (3)
The percent of adolescents who are having sex at earlier ages has decreased since 1988 and contraceptive use has increased since the 1990s. Together these two factors have contributed to the U.S. reaching its lowest teen pregnancy and birth rates in years. (2,4,5)"

Footnotes:
2 Martin, J. A., Hamilton, B. E., Osterman, M. J., Driscoll, A. K., & Mathews, T. J. (2017). Births: Final Data for 2015. National Vital Statistics Report, 66(1). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf

3 Kann, L. (2016). Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2015. MMWR Surveill Summ, 63(4). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/2015/ss6506_updated.pdf

4 Kost, K., & Maddow-Zimet, I. (2016). U.S. teenage pregnancies, births and abortions, 2011: National trends by age, race and ethnicity. Guttmacher Institute. Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/us-teen-pregnancy-trends-2011_0.pdf

5 Martinez, G., Copen, C. E., & Abma, J. C. (2011). Teenagers in the United States: Sexual activity, contraceptive use, and childbearing, 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Statistics, 23(31). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_031.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I am teaching my kids that there are other impacts of sex outside of getting pregnant or a STD that a condom or any kind of birth control can't stop. Whether we like to admit it or not, sex is an emotional tie. I would not want the school to give my kids condoms.

Do you think that it would induce your kids to disregard your teaching?

Crickets.

Different poster, it I prefer that schools not normalize teenagecsex by proactively distributing conforms. Available from the nurse is fin by me, but more than that is going to far by the state into my rights to parent.

Teenagers themselves have normalized sex. The average age Americans lose their virginity is 17.1yrs old. Only 12% of the female population and 14% of the male population are still virgins at age 20. For a teenager to still be a virgin is what is abnormal. And guess ehat kids are doing long before penetration? Oral, hand jobs, and everything else in between.

Im sorry, but you are an absolute idiot and fool if you dont think that teenagers should have easy access to birth control and protection from STDs. Thats like puttung your teen behind the wheel of a car and hiding the seatbelts. Absolute stupidity.

This is the kind of messaging that I think is harmful. Over half of high schoolers graduate as virgins. The idea that everyone is doing it and if you aren't your abnormal or to a teen (abnormal = pathetic loser) is just wrong. There is nothing abnormal about not being sexually active in high school, everyone isn't doing it, and putting pressure on kids that either you have sex or you aren't normal is just wrong. I think this is the other end of the swing from abstinence education. The numbers don't support the you are only normal if you have sex early. Lots of kids either due to personal values, not being ready, lack of opportunity or any number of reasons are not sexually active and we should be emphasizing how normal that is too and no, not everyone needs a condominium in their pocket at all times.

My info is from the CDC. Where are you getting your info?[u]

Nobody is saying virgins are losers. What many of us are saying is that we choose to live in a concious state of reality. I teach the 8th grade and when I was in 8th grade, NOBODY and I mean NOBODY was having oral sex. Now kids talk about it like it's normal. Just last week, a girl,in a "race you to the castle tank top (clearly purchased at disney by her parents probably) was giggling about how a boy had motorboated her. Times have changed.

DP. The CDC data is in line with the earlier poster.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) of the CDC for the most recently released year (2015)* indicates that around 39.2% of high school girls and around 43.2% of high school boys report having sex on the collated anonymous surveys.

* https://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/app/Results.aspx?LID=XX

PP. In clarification, those numbers are for "Ever had sexual intercourse" (39.2% / 43.2%). For "Were currently sexually active," the numbers were 29.8% and 30.3%.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I am teaching my kids that there are other impacts of sex outside of getting pregnant or a STD that a condom or any kind of birth control can't stop. Whether we like to admit it or not, sex is an emotional tie. I would not want the school to give my kids condoms.

Do you think that it would induce your kids to disregard your teaching?

Crickets.

Different poster, it I prefer that schools not normalize teenagecsex by proactively distributing conforms. Available from the nurse is fin by me, but more than that is going to far by the state into my rights to parent.

Teenagers themselves have normalized sex. The average age Americans lose their virginity is 17.1yrs old. Only 12% of the female population and 14% of the male population are still virgins at age 20. For a teenager to still be a virgin is what is abnormal. And guess ehat kids are doing long before penetration? Oral, hand jobs, and everything else in between.

Im sorry, but you are an absolute idiot and fool if you dont think that teenagers should have easy access to birth control and protection from STDs. Thats like puttung your teen behind the wheel of a car and hiding the seatbelts. Absolute stupidity.

This is the kind of messaging that I think is harmful. Over half of high schoolers graduate as virgins. The idea that everyone is doing it and if you aren't your abnormal or to a teen (abnormal = pathetic loser) is just wrong. There is nothing abnormal about not being sexually active in high school, everyone isn't doing it, and putting pressure on kids that either you have sex or you aren't normal is just wrong. I think this is the other end of the swing from abstinence education. The numbers don't support the you are only normal if you have sex early. Lots of kids either due to personal values, not being ready, lack of opportunity or any number of reasons are not sexually active and we should be emphasizing how normal that is too and no, not everyone needs a condominium in their pocket at all times.

My info is from the CDC. Where are you getting your info?

Nobody is saying virgins are losers. What many of us are saying is that we choose to live in a concious state of reality. I teach the 8th grade and when I was in 8th grade, NOBODY and I mean NOBODY was having oral sex. Now kids talk about it like it's normal. Just last week, a girl,in a "race you to the castle tank top (clearly purchased at disney by her parents probably) was giggling about how a boy had motorboated her. Times have changed.

Nah, you were just around kids who either weren't doing it or weren't talking about it. The mores are more relaxed now, but the behind-the-bleachers banging has been going on for as long as people have been around. Remember that until very, very recently in human history, 8th grade girls were a.) wives and b.) mothers.

I've been a middle school teacher for 22 years. Things have most definitly changed. The sexual activity in middle school has ramped up at a fast rate in just the last 5 years, and sadly, for the first time STDs have been occuring in middle school. This goes along with national STD trends.

As noted above and below, the stats don't back that up. If anything, teens are having *less* sex lately. They're just more comfortable talking about sex openly. But rest assured, kids were having it 22 years ago just as much, if not more.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosy_retrospection

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I am teaching my kids that there are other impacts of sex outside of getting pregnant or a STD that a condom or any kind of birth control can't stop. Whether we like to admit it or not, sex is an emotional tie. I would not want the school to give my kids condoms.

Do you think that it would induce your kids to disregard your teaching?

Crickets.

Different poster, it I prefer that schools not normalize teenagecsex by proactively distributing conforms. Available from the nurse is fin by me, but more than that is going to far by the state into my rights to parent.

Teenagers themselves have normalized sex. The average age Americans lose their virginity is 17.1yrs old. Only 12% of the female population and 14% of the male population are still virgins at age 20. For a teenager to still be a virgin is what is abnormal. And guess ehat kids are doing long before penetration? Oral, hand jobs, and everything else in between.

Im sorry, but you are an absolute idiot and fool if you dont think that teenagers should have easy access to birth control and protection from STDs. Thats like puttung your teen behind the wheel of a car and hiding the seatbelts. Absolute stupidity.

This is the kind of messaging that I think is harmful. Over half of high schoolers graduate as virgins. The idea that everyone is doing it and if you aren't your abnormal or to a teen (abnormal = pathetic loser) is just wrong. There is nothing abnormal about not being sexually active in high school, everyone isn't doing it, and putting pressure on kids that either you have sex or you aren't normal is just wrong. I think this is the other end of the swing from abstinence education. The numbers don't support the you are only normal if you have sex early. Lots of kids either due to personal values, not being ready, lack of opportunity or any number of reasons are not sexually active and we should be emphasizing how normal that is too and no, not everyone needs a condominium in their pocket at all times.

My info is from the CDC. Where are you getting your info?[u]

Nobody is saying virgins are losers. What many of us are saying is that we choose to live in a concious state of reality. I teach the 8th grade and when I was in 8th grade, NOBODY and I mean NOBODY was having oral sex. Now kids talk about it like it's normal. Just last week, a girl,in a "race you to the castle tank top (clearly purchased at disney by her parents probably) was giggling about how a boy had motorboated her. Times have changed.

DP. The CDC data is in line with the earlier poster.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) of the CDC for the most recently released year (2015)* indicates that around 39.2% of high school girls and around 43.2% of high school boys report having sex on the collated anonymous surveys.

* https://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/app/Results.aspx?LID=XX

Anonymous wrote:

I've been a middle school teacher for 22 years. Things have most definitly changed. The sexual activity in middle school has ramped up at a fast rate in just the last 5 years, and sadly, for the first time STDs have been occuring in middle school. This goes along with national STD trends.

No, it hasn't. Teenage sexual activity is down, and contraceptive use (including condoms) is up.

https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/american-teens-sexual-and-reproductive-health

And the CDC doesn't seem to track the incidence of STDs among people under 15, so what factual basis do you have for your assertion that "for the first time STDs have been occurring in middle school"?

https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats16/adolescents.htm

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I'd prefer my child have self control. It's not hard.

+1000

Sorry so many of you have kids that are out of control.

If your kid cant control his dick because the school has condoms available, you are the one with the problem.

Condoms should not be a threat to you as a parent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I'd prefer my child have self control. It's not hard.

+1000

Sorry so many of you have kids that are out of control.

They're becoming adults - you don't get to control them anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I'd prefer my child have self control. It's not hard.

+1000

Sorry so many of you have kids that are out of control.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I am teaching my kids that there are other impacts of sex outside of getting pregnant or a STD that a condom or any kind of birth control can't stop. Whether we like to admit it or not, sex is an emotional tie. I would not want the school to give my kids condoms.

Do you think that it would induce your kids to disregard your teaching?

Crickets.

Different poster, it I prefer that schools not normalize teenagecsex by proactively distributing conforms. Available from the nurse is fin by me, but more than that is going to far by the state into my rights to parent.

Teenagers themselves have normalized sex. The average age Americans lose their virginity is 17.1yrs old. Only 12% of the female population and 14% of the male population are still virgins at age 20. For a teenager to still be a virgin is what is abnormal. And guess ehat kids are doing long before penetration? Oral, hand jobs, and everything else in between.

Im sorry, but you are an absolute idiot and fool if you dont think that teenagers should have easy access to birth control and protection from STDs. Thats like puttung your teen behind the wheel of a car and hiding the seatbelts. Absolute stupidity.

This is the kind of messaging that I think is harmful. Over half of high schoolers graduate as virgins. The idea that everyone is doing it and if you aren't your abnormal or to a teen (abnormal = pathetic loser) is just wrong. There is nothing abnormal about not being sexually active in high school, everyone isn't doing it, and putting pressure on kids that either you have sex or you aren't normal is just wrong. I think this is the other end of the swing from abstinence education. The numbers don't support the you are only normal if you have sex early. Lots of kids either due to personal values, not being ready, lack of opportunity or any number of reasons are not sexually active and we should be emphasizing how normal that is too and no, not everyone needs a condominium in their pocket at all times.

My info is from the CDC. Where are you getting your info?

Nobody is saying virgins are losers. What many of us are saying is that we choose to live in a concious state of reality. I teach the 8th grade and when I was in 8th grade, NOBODY and I mean NOBODY was having oral sex. Now kids talk about it like it's normal. Just last week, a girl,in a "race you to the castle tank top (clearly purchased at disney by her parents probably) was giggling about how a boy had motorboated her. Times have changed.

Nah, you were just around kids who either weren't doing it or weren't talking about it. The mores are more relaxed now, but the behind-the-bleachers banging has been going on for as long as people have been around. Remember that until very, very recently in human history, 8th grade girls were a.) wives and b.) mothers.

I've been a middle school teacher for 22 years. Things have most definitly changed. The sexual activity in middle school has ramped up at a fast rate in just the last 5 years, and sadly, for the first time STDs have been occuring in middle school. This goes along with national STD trends.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you rather your child have-- a condom or a baby? Or a condom or an STI?

I am teaching my kids that there are other impacts of sex outside of getting pregnant or a STD that a condom or any kind of birth control can't stop. Whether we like to admit it or not, sex is an emotional tie. I would not want the school to give my kids condoms.

Do you think that it would induce your kids to disregard your teaching?

Crickets.

Different poster, it I prefer that schools not normalize teenagecsex by proactively distributing conforms. Available from the nurse is fin by me, but more than that is going to far by the state into my rights to parent.

Teenagers themselves have normalized sex. The average age Americans lose their virginity is 17.1yrs old. Only 12% of the female population and 14% of the male population are still virgins at age 20. For a teenager to still be a virgin is what is abnormal. And guess ehat kids are doing long before penetration? Oral, hand jobs, and everything else in between.

Im sorry, but you are an absolute idiot and fool if you dont think that teenagers should have easy access to birth control and protection from STDs. Thats like puttung your teen behind the wheel of a car and hiding the seatbelts. Absolute stupidity.

This is the kind of messaging that I think is harmful. Over half of high schoolers graduate as virgins. The idea that everyone is doing it and if you aren't your abnormal or to a teen (abnormal = pathetic loser) is just wrong. There is nothing abnormal about not being sexually active in high school, everyone isn't doing it, and putting pressure on kids that either you have sex or you aren't normal is just wrong. I think this is the other end of the swing from abstinence education. The numbers don't support the you are only normal if you have sex early. Lots of kids either due to personal values, not being ready, lack of opportunity or any number of reasons are not sexually active and we should be emphasizing how normal that is too and no, not everyone needs a condominium in their pocket at all times.

My info is from the CDC. Where are you getting your info?

Nobody is saying virgins are losers. What many of us are saying is that we choose to live in a concious state of reality. I teach the 8th grade and when I was in 8th grade, NOBODY and I mean NOBODY was having oral sex. Now kids talk about it like it's normal. Just last week, a girl,in a "race you to the castle tank top (clearly purchased at disney by her parents probably) was giggling about how a boy had motorboated her. Times have changed.

Nah, you were just around kids who either weren't doing it or weren't talking about it. The mores are more relaxed now, but the behind-the-bleachers banging has been going on for as long as people have been around. Remember that until very, very recently in human history, 8th grade girls were a.) wives and b.) mothers.