Definitions* are important!
Whether we are parents, professionals, teens or seniors, we all need to pay attention to the definitions of words. Because, when we use words it can get confusing when we think we are talking about the same thing, when we are actually addressing two very different issues.
When the word “sex” is used in the classroom or in research it typically references sexual intercourse not other types of sexual behaviors. Often teens believe that God is only concerned with sexual intercourse when He is really concerned with the purity of their heart. And sometimes classroom teachers and parents don’t talk about other sexual behaviors. This can lead to a lot of confusion.
The truth is that God is concerned with all sexual behaviors outside of marriage because He wants us to honor His boundaries as a way of honoring Him. God created these boundaries to keep our hearts, minds and bodies safe from consequences of having sex outside of marriage. All types of sexual behavior bond two people together in a way that God meant only for husbands and wives.
The rates for teenage sexual intercourse have been decreasing in the years since the implementation of abstinence education in public schools. But other types of sexual activity may have increased. So if you’re a parent and your teen tells you they’re not having sex, ask a few more questions. Ask them how they define “sex.” If you’re a professional, make sure you define the word “sex” for your audience. Remember, all forms of sexual activity are capable of transmitting sexually transmitted infections.
*In this document the word “sex” means “sexual intercourse.”
Teen Sexual Activity
- On average, at least 7,000 American teens experience their first sexual intercourse every day. Few experience intercourse before the age of 13, but most do have sex by 20 year of age.1
- Nationwide, 46.8 percent of students (K-12) have had sexual intercourse during their life.2
- Before the age of 19, 70 percent of females and 65 percent of males have had sex.3
- Only about 11 percent of never-married adults remain chaste.4
- More than half of teens (ages 15-19) have had oral sex.5
Teen Pregnancy
- Statistically, 31 percent of young women become pregnant at least once by age 20.6
- The 2004 teen pregnancy rate fell to the lowest level ever reported since National Vital Statistics Reports began in 1976.7
- In 2005, the number of births for 15-19-year-olds declined to 414,593—the fewest reported since 1946.8
STIs/STDs
STI (sexually transmitted infection)
- 19 million new STIs per year; half in 15-24 year olds.9 (19 million is equal to the combined populations of Chicago, Phoenix, San Francisco and Oklahoma City)
- STIs cost the U.S. health care system as much as $15.5 billion annually.10
- Chlamydia: http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/Chlamydia-Fact-Sheet.pdf
- Gonorrhea: http://www.cdc.gov/std/Gonorrhea/gonorrhea-fact-sheet.pdf
- Genital Herpes: http://www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/Herpes-Fact-Sheet.pdf
- Genital HPV: http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/hpv-fact-sheet.pdf
- Syphilis: http://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/syphilis-fact-sheet.pdf
- Trichomoniasis: http://www.cdc.gov/std/trichomonas/Trichomoniasis-Fact-Sheet.pdf
- The link between STDs & HIV: http://www.cdc.gov/std/hiv/stds-and-hiv-fact-sheet.pdf
- Basic HIV information: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm
