Progression, especially in America, means moving forward toward a move developed or advanced stage. The United States employed progression in war machinery to unmanned aircrafts and remote controlled bombs. Housing structures, economic opportunity, and production continue to develop and change, malleable to the global village of today. Communications have developed from written letters sent over weeks at a time to the modern state of instant contact and twenty-four hour information cycles. Medicine provides new information about the spread of diseases, development of medicinal practices, and ways to prevent unwanted medical problems. This is a global village, and Americans should treat our planet as such. Ideas and policies that produce results in other countries should be replicated because now, we have the technology and ability to change the world around us into something better.
Something we should take from the surrounding global village is their approach to sex and sex education. The United Nations Population Fund shows that the United States is the only industrialized nation that has a high tendency of births, 53 in 1,000 teenagers[i]. As can be viewed in the world map (darker colors represent higher number of births), the closest following industrialized nation is the United Kingdom with twenty. The following are general information regarding the state of sex and sex education in America[ii]:
- Two states, Texas and Utah, require parental consent in state funded facilities.
- One in five teens would have unprotected sex if clinics required parental notification.
- 70% would forego use of a clinic entirely.
- Roughly 750,000 women between 15-19 become pregnant each year.
- In 2004, 16,000 girls aged 10-14 became pregnant.
- In 2006, 27% or 200,420 teenage pregnancies ended in abortion.
- As of January 2010, 34 states require parents when a minor seeks an abortion.
- A decline in teen pregnancies occurred from 1991-2005, largely due to increased contraception use.
o However, 2005, 2006, and 2007 all showed upticks in teen pregnancy.
o This uptick coincided with President Bush’s enactment of abstinence only programs, where 80% of the 1.5 billion dollars allotted to sex education since 1982 was spent.
- Rates of Chlamydia have increased rapidly over the years.
The birth rate in the Netherlands is five of every 1,000 teenagers. Unicef’s studies of the Netherlands “have concluded that the underlying reason for success has been the combination of a relatively inclusive society with more open attitudes towards sex and sex education, including contraception.” Contraceptives “are not associated with shame or embarrassment” and “the media is willing to carry explicit messages” about contraception and sex target marketed to the youth[vi]. The United States (and the UK, for that matter), is not an inclusive society, but exclusive to say the least. Information is available to youth in a variety of formal locations, but access to these sources is limited due to embarrassment and secrecy imposed on retrieving items and information related to sex. Parents tend to shy away from talking about sex with their children. Schools are encouraged (encouraged!) not to teach comprehensive sex education to students, instead focusing on abstinence only or ignoring the subject entirely[vii]. America needs to change its perspective on sex for the sake of the youth, and of the culture of the country. A more inclusive network needs to be integrated into school systems, clinics, and information access points for children including the media in all forms, youth conversations, and parental involvement.
Today, teachers are more likely to educate students on abstinence only than comprehensive sex education. In 1988, only one in fifty teachers taught abstinence as the singular path to avoid STIs and pregnancy. In 1999, this number rose to one in four educators. Over nine out of ten teachers believe students should be educated regarding contraception, but one in five believes restrictions imposed are hurting their students and one in four are banned from teaching contraception use. Thirty-five percent of schools are required to only teach abstinence[ix]. As displayed in the chart to the right, teachers are not teaching what they believe should be taught regarding sex education[x]. As for parents, 88% of parents of junior high school kids and 85% of parents of high school students believe that students should be informed on how to use and where to access contraception. One hundred percent of parents of junior high students and 98% of parents of high school students support the discussion of STDs, including HIV/AIDS, herpes, and others. This is not the actual case in schools. [xi] There is no evidence that supports abstinence only education delaying sex in teenagers. In fact, a paper published in the British Medical Journals asserts, “abstinence training increases the rate of pregnancy[xii]”. Abstinence only does not change behavior of condom usage, number of sexual behaviors, pregnancy or STDs. However, abstinence only negatively impacts the sexual health of youth. Virginity pledges leave students 1/3 less likely use contraception when becoming sexually active. Pledgers have the same rate of STDs as peers and are more likely than peers to engage in oral and anal sex, both of which can still lead to the spread of STDs. In fact, in communities with a higher number of virginity pledgers, STD rates were significantly higher than in non virginity-pledging communities[xiii].
On the other hand,
Evidence shows that comprehensive sex education programs that provide information about both abstinence and contraception can help delay the onset of sexual activity among teens, reduce their number of sexual partners and increase contraceptive use when they become sexually active. These findings were underscored in “Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior,” issued by former Surgeon General David Satcher in June 2001[xiv].
Pediatrician Mark Shuster, chief of general pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Boston argues for parental involvement in the sexual education of youth. Open and repeated dialogue about the use of condoms, appropriate and healthy relationships, and orgasms will encourage children to be more honest in their sexual growth and knowledge. Shuster argues children would rather learn information from their parents, but more children educate themselves about sex by asking their peers, watching television, listening to music, watching music videos, and surfing the Internet[xv]. Media is impacting the educational levels of youth in this nation in a negative fashion[xvi].
The media has a direct impact on teen’s view of sex. The average child and teenager spend seven hours a day with media. This media includes, but is not limited to, television, advertisements, magazines, Internet, and media accessed on a cellular device. Studies have confirmed that pregnant teenagers view more sexually explicit content, such as soap operas, and do not believe soap opera stars would use birth control. Teenagers who view sexual media are more likely to engage in sex earlier than youth who did not view a high rate of sexual media. Advertisements regarding contraception often focus on the ability of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS instead of the effectiveness against preventing pregnancies. Hormonal options tend to stress the control of acne and ease of use instead of the ability to prevent unplanned pregnancies[xvii]. Plan B and other emergency contraceptives are note even advertised on television because of their explicit, singular purpose of preventing pregnancy. FOX and CBS have routinely declined advertisements for condoms that emphasize pregnancy prevention, but the amount of airtime dedicated to Viagra and Cialis only seems to increase[xviii].
As of 2001, the WB refused to air birth control pill advertisements, which should be interesting to anyone who has ever seen 90210, One Tree Hill or Gossip Girl. Over 75% of programs aired during prime time contain sexual content, but only 14% supplement these messages with information about responsibility or risks[xix]. From 1997 to 2001, the number of sexual images on television doubled. Then reality shows hit the airwaves, causing stir in the media and in the pants of the youth. Magazines and music videos are additional forms of media that contribute to the sexual knowledge of today’s youth. The Internet has made pornography a place for access for nearly every individual – and child – in America. A national poll of 1500 10-17 year olds found that almost half had become acquainted with online pornography in the preceding year. Twenty percent of teens and young adults have “sexted”, defined as sending nude pictures or videos of themselves over text message. The American Academy of Pediatrics argues that because so many sex education programs are abstinence only, coupled with many parents shying away from discussing sex, teens are turning to the media to learn about sex. Is this smart? The media is in no way abstinence only; the United States has “some of the most sexually suggestive media in the world[xx]”. The negative impact of sexually explicit media does not stop with clouding honest information about sex, but dives into corrupting self-esteem of youth, and contributing to (but not causing) eating disorders in teenage girls. The impact of these can also spill over into increasing negative sexual practices in youth. As far as the media goes, shouldn’t Americans expect – or even demand – that schools inform children using a comprehensive sex education structure to directly combat the overly suggestive media? That is, of course, until society is sexually honest and inclusive, media changes advertisements to be less sexually suggestive and more sexually honest. Advertisements should not use sex to sell, but sell safe sex. Condoms are here to not only prevent AIDS/HIV (which is the singular accepted media message regarding condoms), but to prevent unplanned pregnancies and protect against other STDs and STIs. Plan B, hormone treatments, and other birth control forms have the same benefit. These methods do not encourage children to have sex, but allow kids to be prepared when they eventually make the decision to have sex. In this case, emotional readiness for eventually engaging in sex should also be addressed – in the media, in schools, and in the home.
Americans are not unintelligent about sex – they know that sex must happen, how it happens, and what the outcomes are. This must be true because there are over three hundred million people in this country, and seven billion in the world. These people did not all show up one day; they were all conceived through sex, carried, and born. But Americans are embarrassed and stubborn. Religion and personal belief should not reign in this realm; Logic and humanity should. Children younger than five begin wondering where babies come from. It is not at all uncommon for young kids to discover masturbation, differences in male and female bodies, and what it means to be male or female. Parents and educators should not stifle this curiosity, or children will (and have) turn to alternate sites of information, such as peers and the media. Parents should be supportive of their children’s curiosity about sex, and encourage honest questions and give honest answers. Children first want to speak to their parents about sex, but parents raised in an exclusive society may not be present an open and welcoming front to their children, especially on such a sensitive issue[xxi]. Studies have shown that when parents are honest with their opinions that differ from the media’s representation of an issue, the parental opinion can overturn the media’s message[xxii]. Beginning in the home, children will feel an inclusive environment, which should be replicated with support from their educational institutions, and confirmed in the media children view every day.
The media is currently an unreliable source for appropriate and honest displays of sexual interaction. This industry should be heavily encouraged and politically allowed to present sexual information in advertising and television programming, especially programs aimed at the youth of our nation. The stigma attached to discussing sex needs to be shattered, beginning with policy improvements in government regulations of school sex education programs and restrictions on advertisements of contraception.
As far as programming, has anyone seen The Secret Life of the American Teenager? This program is aimed at pre-teen and teenagers and is almost entirely about sex. The general premise is about a successful young girl who finds herself pregnant and unmarried, and decides to raise the baby with the father, sometimes as a couple, and sometimes as single parents. Her existence causes a stir in her community, her school and amongst her friends. As the episodes continue, honest and blunt conversations about the pill (Amy, the pregnant teen, starts on the pill after giving birth because she now understands that anything can happen when sex is involved), condoms, raising a baby as a teenager, having relationships as a single parent, when women and men believe they are emotionally ready to engage in sex, and other pressing issues facing the youth of today. While this program is aimed at an age group younger than I, and I have not viewed every episode aired, I have seen enough to become a fan of their presentation and treatment of sex. Media gurus should use this show as a guide for incorporating sexual messages into content, allowing big media to develop and establish an actual responsibility to younger viewers.
It is important for America to adopt the mindset that the youth of this nation grow up quickly. Childhood is short, and today is getting shorter[xxiii]. Children have cell phones, more access to media, music, and have a schedule for the activities in their lives. This “want” children have to grow up quickly is one that should be combated, at least in sexuality education, directly and sincerely. Children want to feel included, adult, and responsible. Parents, schools, and the media should provide children with the reinforcement and information that children can make their own decision about sex – if that decision is not to have sex, to use a condom, to go on the pill, to get an abortion, or to understand their own sexuality. Falling behind on the education of children is separating our nation from others, our children from the children of others. Sex should be talked about to avoid all the things that come with it: unplanned pregnancies, the spread of STDs and STIs, emotional instability, and inappropriate relationship building. These issues will not be resolved with ignorance, but with action.
Other countries, such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands, have progressed in their sexual scene not in inappropriateness, but in honesty and openness. A study of teenagers in these countries found that "In the countries studied, adolescents are valued, respected, and expected to act responsibly. Equally important, most adults trust adolescents to make responsible choices because they see young people as assets rather than problems. That message is conveyed in the media, in school texts, and in health care settings[xxii]." The media, parents, and school need to catch up to the American Academy of Pediatrics and change their conversations about sex. Whether from explicit and degrading to honest and responsible, or hidden and embarrassed to comprehensive and open, America is failing its citizens by failing to provide for information to meet the demands of youth. So let’s all talk to our children about sex. Everyone else is.
[ii] "Facts on American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health." Guttmacher Institute, Jan. 2010. Web. 7 Oct.
[iii] "HIV and AIDS in America." AIDS & HIV Information from the AIDS Charity AVERT. Avert, 2010. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.
[v] Toufexis, Anastasia, Ulla Plon, and Hiroko Tashiro. "Sex Has Many Accents." Time Magazine, 24 May 1993. Web. 7 Oct. 2010.
[vii] Dailard, Cynthia. "Sex Education: Politicians, Parents, Teachers and Teens." The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy. Guttmacher Institute, Feb. 2001. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.
[viii] "Facts on Sex Education in the United States." In Brief. Guttmacher Institute, Dec. 2006. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.
[ix] ""Facts on Sex Education in the United States." In Brief. Guttmacher Institute, Dec. 2006. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.
[x] Dailard, Cynthia. "Sex Education: Politicians, Parents, Teachers and Teens." The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy. Guttmacher Institute, Feb. 2001. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.
[xi] "On Our Side: Public Support for Comprehensive Sexuality Education." SIECUS, May 2005. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.
[xiii] "What the Research Says...Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs." Fact Sheet. SIECUS, Oct. 2007. Web. 6 Oct. 2010.
[xiv] "Facts on Sex Education in the United States." In Brief. Guttmacher Institute, Dec. 2006. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.
[xv] Lyon, Lindsay. "Teens and Sex: How to Help Your Kids Dodge Pregnancy and STDs ." Family Health. US News & World Report, 10 Dec. 2008. Web. 7 Oct. 2010.
[xvi] Shute, Nancy. "Children, Sex, and the Media: 3 Ways for Parents to Gain Control." On Parenting. US News & World Report, 1 Sept. 2010. Web. 7 Oct. 2010.
[xvii] Strasburger, Victor. "Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media." Pediatrics | Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics, 30 Aug. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
[xviii] Newman, Andrew. "Pigs With Cellphones, but No Condoms." Media & Advertising. New York Times, 18 June 2007. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.
[xix] Strasburger, Victor. "Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media." Pediatrics | Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics, 30 Aug. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
[xx] Strasburger, Victor. "Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media." Pediatrics | Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics, 30 Aug. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
[xxi] Pike, Lynn. "Sexuality and Your Child: For Children Ages 3 to 7." Information from Human Environmental Sciences Extension. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Missouri, Jan. 2001. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.
[xxii] Strasburger, Victor. "Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media." Pediatrics | Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics, 30 Aug. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
[xxiii] "10 Is the New 15 as Kids Grow up Faster." Kids and Parenting. MSN, 26 Nov. 2006. Web. 16 Oct. 2010.
You are correct to note the lacking discussion of sex in America and the undeniable need for it. Yes, public primary schools now require one semester of sex education. Not to sound like a pessimist, but I don’t remember anything from those once weekly classes in fifth grade aside from the unease that most students had saying penis, vagina, semen, and the like. Why are we conditioned to feel awkward about sex in America? The foremost memory I have of visiting England as a ten year-old is the risqué billboards, sexual innuendos on network television, and social tendency not to hold words back out of “respect” for those present. Talking about a perfectly natural biological process is absolutely nothing to be ashamed about, and as you point out, this tendency of European nations to discuss safe sex practices openly and not treat them as forbidden yields a lower birth rate; this is especially true of youth, the underprivileged, and especially “at-risk” groups.
ReplyDeleteSome would argue that as Americans we should demonstrate a moral decency greater than that of any other nation in the world. However, I would argue that this “decency” is, in fact, damaging. The failure to discuss contraception and the STD risk when engaging in sexual acts ultimately yields higher rates of teen pregnancy and life-threatening disease. Shows like MTV’s Teen Mom, despite the fact that people watch purely for the entertainment of dysfunctional young couples, bring this major social issue to the forefront of youth culture and open the dialogue to at risk youth.