Brittany Culp
Essay # 3 final draft
May 5, 2010
Word Count: 1674
Protected Nation: The Not So Secret Life of the American Teenager
Today’s generation of teenagers are vulnerable to how society, media, and education glamorizes sex and the consequences that follow having sexual intercourse. Society has begun to think of teen pregnancy and sex as a normal thing for today’s generation. Even the media has begun playing a major role in how STDs and pregnancy is perceived now days, airing shows such as the Secret Life of the American Teenager and 90210. Shows such as these have begun sparking the interest of teenagers and has falsely glamorized sex, not using protection, and pregnancy for teens. In addition, both parents and schools have not put forth a proper efforts to promote sexual education and teach children and teenagers how to deal with sexual situations. Despite their attempts, society, media, and education have taken the initiative promote a positive outlook on what can happen after sex. Yet, in reality this change in perspective on pregnancy and STDs is a negative and false perception that is leading teens into believing that STDs and pregnancy are no big deal.
Nowadays many people do not think twice about seeing a pregnant teenager, because it is becoming a normalcy among the ideas of adolescences. This generation has continued to become increasingly different than that of our parents generation. I asked a number of girls who are teen moms how they believed their generation and their parent’s generation differs. One answered, “ when my parents were younger being a teen mother was frowned upon and there was nothing glamorous about the lifestyle of a teen being pregnant. Nowadays girls see it on the television or see their friends getting pregnant and think its cool, but really it’s a lot of hard work.” She also stated that, “our culture has allowed media influences to surpass the moral standards that parents try to uphold.” Society has made the media the number one example for teens. “The average young person views more than 3,000 ads per day on television, on the Internet, on billboards, and in magazines”("American Academy of Pediatrics" 2563). Allowing young children and teens to become more familiar with brands that focus exclusively on intercourse.
Society has not only focused on pregnancy but on the idea of contraception as well. A recently released government study found that the number of teenagers who said they had used a condom the last time they had sex dropped from 63% in 2005 to 61% last year. Trojan, a well-known condom company released a commercial where a pig using a Trojan condom transforms into a young man holding up a note card that reads, “evolve.” The campaign was trying to express the need for a major wake-up call among Americans and the importance of using condoms. Yet, according to research from Indiana University “sexually active Americans between the ages of eighteen and fifty-four use them only about twenty-five percent of the time.” So why have teens become so willing to take the risk of becoming infected with diseases such as Chlamydia or even becoming pregnant?
The Media has become an overwhelming part of teen’s lives in today’s world. Everywhere you look whether in movies, TV, or even commercials you are bound to see someone being sexually active. Shows such as 16 and Pregnant, The Hills, and Day’s of our Lives has teenagers having sex or “fooling around” without using protection and surpassing the dangers of STDs or pregnancy. When one of the characters actually does fall victim to the consequences of not using protection the show makes the characters life seem blissful. According to Seventeen magazine, “ Fifty-Five percent of teen girls say TV shows and movies encourage teenagers to have sex.” Because of this foolish idea placed into the heads of teenagers “the teen birthrate is on the rise for the first time in 15 years, it is critically important to focus resources and attention on this problem, One way to do that is to make sure people understand that it's a very widespread problem” ("Facts on American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health"). America has become the leader in teen pregnancies and continues to top the charts as rates continue to increase. According to the Guttmacher Institute “Each year, almost 750,000 women aged 15–19 become pregnant. Overall, 71.5 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15–19 occurred in 2006.”
Education concerning sex has become a major topic among schools and Parents. Parents have a unique window of opportunity to educate their children about sexual intercourse and other issues related to sex. “By age 15, only 13 percent of teenagers have had sex. This means that, on average, most teens do not become sexually active until after the age of 15 ”("Teen Sex Statistics") Yet, when it comes to talking about sex many parents don’t know how to handle the situation, leaving teens either learning from peers or from what they see on television or in the movies. Earlier this year I learned in my Psychology class that some places in rural cities don’t sell condoms. This leaves teens with two options, one drive the distance to buy condoms or two make a stupid decision. Because parents are not taking the time to simply tell their kids the importance of contraception or even where to get condoms, more and more teens are becoming young parents or living with a sexually transmitted disease.
Though nowadays kids are learning exactly what sex is at an even younger age. Many schools have begun teaching sex education classes in order to educate young people about the dangers that can follow unprotected sex. Even though schools have begun teaching education courses for sex, it is still not enough to prevent teens from taking part in sexual activity. According to The Guttmacher Institute, “Nearly half (46%) of all 15–19-year-olds in the United States have had sex at least once.” Even though schools have begun to address this growing issue among teens, many parents don’t approve of the idea of having a class solely for sex education. The argument that has risen among schools and parents is whether to teach sex education or abstinence only education.
Many parents have begun to way in on which program would be more productive for today’s youth. Some say that abstinence only education is the only method to prevent teenagers from having sex, while others insist that teenagers will have sex no matter what, for that reason it is better that they are well educated about sex. According to the Guttmacher Institute, “20 percent of teenagers admit that they would still have sex, even if contraceptives were no longer made available to them.” Also the American Psychological Association or APA stated that those in abstinence only programs are more probable to have unprotected sex than those who have been through a sexual education program. What many parent’s aren’t realizing is that sex is a natural urge among mankind and truly can’t be prevented. The only thing parents and educators really can do is make teens realize how important it is to be safe.
In 2008 headlines all over the nation began talking about Gloucester high school in a small Massachusetts town. Headlines read “Pregnancy Pact,” eighteen girls all around the age of fourteen years old had made a secret pact to all become pregnant. Time magazine interviewed the high schools superintendent, Christopher Farmer, who attempted to link events in Gloucester to the recent Hollywood vogue for cheery films about unplanned pregnancy. Films such as Juno and Knocked Up have been blamed for romanticizing a social evil. Though many of the young girls never explained the reason for creating this so called “pact” among friends, but one graduate from Gloucester, Amanda Ireland did speak out about the sudden baby boom. Ireland went on to tell how quiet a few of the girls would approach her and say, "They're so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally." Now day’s at the high school day care is provided for the teen mothers so they can continue with their schooling.
Since society and media has played such a large role in how teens see a sexually active lifestyle, many don’t look at all the things they lose while suffering from an STD. Teens who become pregnant usually don’t finish high school or go on to continue their education. Also, “eighty percent of teen fathers don’t marry the mother of their baby”(Khidekel 153-155). The scariest part about unprotected sex is the STDs teens contract from their partners. The Guttmacher Institute reported “48 percent of new cases of STDs each year occur in those aged 15-24. This age group represents only one fourth of the population, yet almost half of the new cases of STDs occur within this age group.” Many teenagers don’t look at the fact that just because this might be their first time having vaginal or oral sex, does not mean that it is your partners first time. For every person your partner or yourself has had sexual contact with you are taking a risk of contracting some sort of STD. Numerous amounts of teens only think about the common contracted STDs, but what many don’t realize is that a number of STDs are responsible for taking lives, causing cancers, and even causing an outbreak of more diseases.
Society, media, and education will continue to influence the way young adults perceive the lifestyle of a sexually active teen. Though the generation of today’s youth continues to glamorize the idea of pregnancy without thinking about the consequences that follow. If society and media begin to show the true consequences after having sex such as STDs and pregnancy then maybe more teens and even parents will begin to educate one another on a healthier sexual lifestyle. As well as, advance sexual education in schools whether it be abstinence or sexual education teens need to know what options they have when becoming sexually active. Teens should no longer want to live a life a secrecy, but be able to live life with out having to worry about the consequences of their actions.
Work Cited
Allen-Mills, Tony, and Beverly Ford. "Teen ‘pregnancy pact’ has US town reeling in shame." Sunday Times 22 Jun. 2008:Web. 17 April 2010.
"Children, Adolescents, and Advertising ." American Academy of Pediatrics 118.6 (2006): 2563. Web. 17 April 2010.
"Guttmacher Institute." Facts on American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health. Guttmacher Institute, 2010. Web. 12 April 2010.
Khidekel, Marina. "Could Hollywood Trick You Into Getting Pregnant?." Seventeen Magazine May 2010: 153-155. Print.
McLeod, Kimberley. "Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High." Time Magazine (2008): Web. 17 April 2010.
"Seeking Sexual Health In America." Research at IU. Indiana State University, 2008. Web. 17 May 2010.
"Teen Sex Statistics." Pregnant Teen Help, 2005. Web. 17 May 2010.
Ohio State University