The results of a recent study conducted by Peter Karofsky, a UW Health pediatrician, will make your parents think twice about leaving your little brother or sister home alone at night.
Over 200 Middleton and West Side Madison teenagers were involved in Karofsky’s study that has replaced lover’s lane with a new first-time hot-spot: teenagers’ bedrooms.
Research shows teenagers are most likely to loose their virginity late at night while their parents are away from home.
Karofsky told the Wisconsin State Journal that leaving a teenager alone in an empty house is too much responsibility for an adolescent to handle.
“It isn’t a question of trust, because the kids could have the best intentions in all the world,” he said. “But until you are positively, unequivocally sure a teenager is mature enough to handle the peer pressure, you’re setting up a bad situation. High school is just too early.”
Karofsky’s study revealed that 60 percent of girls and 10 percent of boys regret how they lost their virginity.
Karofsky also said he believes that it’s the family’s responsibility to help the child form opinions and values about sexual activity.
“If the parents believe that abstinence is important, then they need to talk with their teens about it,” he said. “Schools are not responsible for establishing morals and values. Schools should discuss abstinence as an option for preventing venereal disease but should not try to instill it as a value.”
Meredith Schonfeld-Hicks, event and outreach coordinator for Sex Out Loud, said it is necessary for the education system to teach about contraceptives and protection, because parents aren’t always reliable.
Sex Out Loud is a campus organization that provides a variety of information on sex, including how and where to get contraceptives, protection against STDs and, last but not least, kinky things to try during sex.
“Parents have a huge influence on their kids’ sexuality,” Schonfeld-Hicks said. “They do need to be open and honest with their kids. [Teenagers] may do it anyway, but they will be more likely to talk with their parents about it and be honest in return.”
Karofsky’s advises parents to “talk to your teens about sex.” He also said parents need to remember to keep a close eye on teenage boys.
“They can also contract disease and become part of an unwanted pregnancy,” he told the Wisconsin State Journal. Boys are more likely to loose their virginity in their parents’ home, while girls are more likely to do it in their partner’s home.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy shows that four out of 10 girls in the United States will be pregnant before they reach age 20.
In Wisconsin, 4 percent of teens have had intercourse before age 12, and only 25 percent of high school students reported using birth control during their last sexual encounter.
