Dating, Sex and Relationships

The decision whether or not to require high schools to provide sex education, HIV education, or abstinence education to their students is made at the state level and has a significant impact on teen pregnancy and teen birth rates, not to mention contraceptive use. Based on the findings of the Guttmacher Institute, this article examines which...

Readers share their thoughts on how old a girl or woman should be before she has sex. Some give advice, some share their own stories, and other offer cautionary tales.

When deciding what's the right age to have sex, many young women and teen girls are influenced by their peers. But if they turn to the media for the answer to the question "When do most teens have sex?" they may find more hype than facts.

Facts on tween dating abuse and violence, and statistics on tweens and dating violence.

A July 2008 study of tween dating relationships and sexuality finds that tweens are more sexually active than parents realize.

Ten facts about teen dating violence and statistics on dating abuse in adolescent relationships.

Shakespeare's famous teenage couple are more than star-crossed lovers. They're lending their names to recent Romeo and Juliet laws - legislation enacted by states that attempts to legally define the difference between child molestation and sex between consenting teenagers.

An unflinching look at the rise in casual sex and hookups - and the decline in dating and serious relationships - from various perspectives including teens, young adults, psychologists, sociologists and educators.

A review of the WE tv series "High School Confidential," an 8 hour documentary that looks at what high school is really like from the perspective of 12 teenage girls from freshman through senior year.

Open, honest conversations about sex, pregnancy and contraception between parents and teens are effective.

Which works better at preventing sexually transmitted disease - a sex education program that promotes abstinence or one that shows students how to use a condom? One study suggests there's a big difference between the two.

Teenage pregnancy statistics and teen birth rates are among the topics covered in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's October 2011 report on teen sexuality covering the years 2006-2011, along with indicators revealing continuing trends in both those areas.

When a teen has sex for the first time, many factors influence whether contraceptives will be used. An October 2011 CDC report on teenage sexual activity and contraceptive use sheds light on why some teens choose birth control and other don't, and why contraceptive use increases as teens grow older.

For every parent who has ever said, "My teen doesn't pay attention to me," a CDC study on the sexual activity of teens in the US proves otherwise. Parents, especially mothers, have a significant influence on teens who are struggling to decide whether or not to have sex.

The first in a two-part series on the pros and cons of abstinence, these 10 arguments for abstinence include why abstinence is the only 100% effective method of pregnancy prevention and why delaying sex may be the best choice for teens emotionally and academically.