Sex is something that’s supposed to be a shared connection between two people, or more, both physically and emotionally. So, before we get into this whole thing about high school kids having less sex in decades thing, we must give the disclaimer that we know sex is more than just something to pass the time. Still, the decreased sexual activity in high school kids is pretty alarming.
According to a recent piece from Market Watch, an annual study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that just under 40 percent of high schoolers in the United States reported ever having sex in 2017. For those unfamiliar with what that actually means, that number represents the lowest rate since the CDC first started the survey back in 1991, with the percentage of sexually active teens dropping from 54.1 percent in 2017 to 39.5 percent in 2017. What in the hell is going on with these high school kids, guys?
Well, maybe unsurprisingly, the cause may be directly attributed to distractions — like social media — with smartphones being a major influencer in why teens are “taking longer to grow up,” which is according to Jean Twenge, a psychology professor and author of the book iGen, per Market Watch.
Teenagers “are taking longer to grow up — they are less likely to do things that adults do and children don’t,” including working, getting a driver’s license, dating and drinking alcohol, said Jean Twenge, a psychology professor and author of the book “iGen,” about young people today.
But smartphones also play a role, she said, as “teens started going out less and staying home more, likely because they communicated with their friends online and via text.”
Basically, teenagers these days are more interested in playing games on their smartphones or messaging on apps than meeting someone in real life and, potentially, having sex. What in the hell is wrong with these kids? And, dammit, why do I sound like an old man telling them to get off my lawn about all of this?
In a separate CDC survey about sexual activity in teenagers that was released this year, the initial reactions were positive about the decrease in sex, with many believing they represented the impact and education of STDs. Unfortunately, that seemed to contradict the results about the 40 percent of teens who are sexually active, with a smaller percentage of high schoolers who did have sex admitting to not using protection — which is the objective of the CDC surveys to begin with. So, yeah, even those teens who are having sex aren’t being overly smart about it.
Now, we’re not going to be all Johnny High School and talk about our sexual conquests from way back when, but, come on, put down the damn phones, stop being socially awkward and start interacting with a human being face-to-face and not through a screen. If it leads to more sex, great. If not, fine. And, remember kids, when having sex, always be smart about it and use protection; herpes is for life.