| Many parents have a good rapport with their children | | | | 1 in every 5 women will become pregnant as a result. |
| and feel that they are able to have open and frank | | | | Unintended pregnancies make up 78% of all |
| discussions with their children. However, when it comes | | | | accounted teen pregnancies. These teen pregnancies |
| to sexual activity, many teenagers give out more | | | | also go on to make up 25% of all unintended |
| information about their own personal sexual | | | | pregnancies each year. Every year, almost one million |
| experiences on their MySpace page than they will | | | | teenagers get pregnant. Not surprisingly there are |
| ever give to their parents. So when it comes to | | | | more than 500,000 births. Due to their age and |
| understanding the realities their teenagers' experience, | | | | hormone levels, teenage girls are especially fertile. As |
| it often turns out to be very different from what the | | | | a result, some experts state that a teenage girl has a |
| parents might have expected. For parents interested in | | | | 90% of becoming pregnant within one year - |
| knowing more about the type of online environment | | | | regardless of the frequency of the sexual activity - if |
| their teenagers actually live in, specifically when it | | | | she uses no pregnancy or birth control methods. The |
| comes to teen sex, knowing some vital statistics can | | | | other side of the coin is just as dismal when it comes |
| help them become more proactive in their attempts to | | | | to teenage boys acting as fathers. Statistically, the |
| both connect and assist their child in overcoming peer | | | | majority of teen age fathers leave when they find out |
| pressure. Many of the teens that do participate in | | | | that their girlfriend is pregnant. And 78% of teenage |
| premarital sex are those that have both self esteem | | | | pregnancies occur between unmarried couples. When |
| and peer pressure issues. In many cases, teenagers | | | | compared to teenage mothers, the fathers of the |
| hope these types of activities will aid them when it | | | | babies are in most cases older than the mother by 1-5 |
| comes to social networking, only to be disappointed | | | | years. In fact, 20% of the fathers are 5 years or older |
| when their pre-marital activities actually causes even | | | | when compared to the mother of the child. Between |
| lower self esteem and negative peer approval. Here | | | | 1990 and 1996, the number of abortions as a result |
| are some recent statistics that will help to illustrate the | | | | unplanned pregnancy due to teenage premarital sexual |
| prevalence of teen sex sexual activity among the | | | | activity declined substantially. This was in part due to |
| same age groups. Some teenagers think that oral sex | | | | easier access for teens to obtain prophylactic |
| counts as sex, while others do not think that | | | | medication and devices such as birth control pills and |
| participating in oral sex will count against one's virginity | | | | condoms. |
| or should count as a valid example of a sexual partner. | | | | Amy Cainfield is the Director of Parental Control |
| Every year, 10% of all women that become pregnant | | | | Products, LLC. |
| are between the ages of 15 and 19. In this same group, | | | | |