Despite the fact that TV shows like Glee are corrupting children by teaching them that it's cool to have protected sex with your long-term partner, according to a new study from the CDC, the number of teens losing their virginity has dropped drastically in the last decade. Unfortunately, the CDC still has no idea why kids' passion for illicit fornication has waned, so the study's usefulness is limited. However, it's still a great opportunity for adults to theorize about what could possibly be going through teens' heads, much like when someone over 30 tries to figure out what the kiddies see in Justin Beiber.


The New York Times reports that according to the most recent data, 43% of unmarried teen girls and 42% of unmarried teen boys have had sex at least once. When the report was last published in 2002, the CDC found 51.1% of girls and 60.4 percent of boys had lost their virinity by age 19. In concerning news for MTV reality show producers, the birth rate for teenagers ages 15 to 19 has hit an all time low at 39 per 1,000 births. Though, we shouldn't get too cocky about our ability to keep kids from impregnating each other. The Times points out that the teen pregnancy rate is 14 per 1,000 in Canada, 10 per 1,000 in Germany, and in 7 per 1,000 in Italy.

When the virginal teenagers were asked why they're waiting to have sex, the most popular answer was that it's against their religion or morals. That's always been the number one response, but in the latest research the second most popular response for boys changed. In 2002, guys said they didn't want to get a girl pregnant, but now they say they haven't found the right person. While it's possible that teenage boys have grown more sensitive in the past few years, it's more likey that they aren't as worried about pregnancy because they have more information on birth control. A related study released last month found that more teens are using condoms and hormonal birth control when they first have sex. As for why fewer teens are having vaginal sex, it seems likely that in the post-Clinton era a greater percentage are exploring the joys of oral sex (someone should probably vaccinate these kids against HPV before they come down with throat cancer). Of course, it's also possible that teens are just toying with us, as is their wont. Once they realized older people like sex too they probably decided en masse to make it uncool, just to scew with us.

Teenagers Having Sex Are Now a Minority [NYT]


Earlier: Condom Use On The Rise Among Teens With Brains
Oral Sex Linked To Throat Cancer, Is Best Argument Yet For Giving Boys HPV Vaccine

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