Why Are So Many High Schoolers Having Sex? …Or are they? Parents have asked us this question in many different ways, so I decided to look into the research, and I was struck by what I found. Teenagers often overestimate how sexually active their peers are. That perception may influence some high schoolers to have sex earlier because jokes, movies, social media, rumors, or that “one couple” at school shape their understanding of romantic relationships. They may begin to feel a

As a speaker, I often have the opportunity to stand before rooms full of young people, usually middle school & high school girls, and talk about the awkward topics: sex, birth control, period cramps, pornography, masturbation, and all the other things they desperately want answers about but are afraid to say out loud. Our culture has attempted to overcome the awkwardness surrounding these subjects by turning them into animated videos, casual conversations, and constant jokes.

"I wish my parents had talked to me about sex more intentionally."