On Monday, a study was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, which has found that roughly 4% to 8% (nearly 1 in 13) of boys and young men in the United States report having sex for the first time before the age of 13.
The numbers varied depending on the place where the boys lived. For instance, in San Francisco, only 5% of boys said they had sex before attaining the age of 13, while in Memphis, the number jumped to 25%. Also, race and ethnicity made a great difference, black males were most likely to indulge in sexual activity before 13, followed by Hispanic males.
The investigators are calling for more sex education, care, and conversations when it comes to supporting healthy sexual developments and safe encounters in boys.
Having a conversation with your child about sex can be embarrassing; however, the new study suggests that you need to have such conversations much earlier than you actually do.
Study author Dr. Laura Lindberg from the Guttmacher Institute in New York City said, “Parents and educators can’t wait until a high school class to cover key topics when many young males start having sex before this.”
Dr. David Bell, the author of an accompanying editorial, agreed with Dr. Lindberg and said, “The big picture for me is that we need to make sure our young people are better prepared and better educated around sex.” He is an associate professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. He noted that talking about sex does not encourage young people to indulge in sexual activity.
According to Dr. Bell, the average age that teenagers start indulging in sexual activity is around 17, which has not really changed over the years. However, the professor said that the percentage of teenagers having early sex (prior to 13) is decreasing for more than 10 years.
Dr. Bell explained that this decline is good news because early sex can increase sexual risks, such as having multiple sexual partners, unprotected sex, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Also, it may be linked to drug or substance abuse, leading to low school achievement and even violence.
The new study analyzed two large databases of nationally representative groups. The first study looked at more than 20,000 high-school-aged males, while the second study looked at nearly 8,000 males between 15 and 24 years of age.
The participants were asked if they had sexual encounters before age 13. The investigators found that most volunteers said they had sex with a friend. Dr. Lindberg said they did not ask if the friend was of the same or similar age. However, previous studies suggest that when boys had early sex, their partners were often similar in age.
The researchers have also found that nearly 55% of the young men wanted the sexual experience, 37% had mixed feelings about sexual encounters, and 8% did not want it to happen.
Parental sex education seemed to have a great impact. Boys who have mothers with a college degree were almost 70% less likely to indulge in sexual activity before 13.
Dr. Lindberg explained, “Adolescent males’ attitudes and values about their sexuality and masculinity are influenced by the social context of their community.”
“Our findings reflect that where you live exposes you to different social norms about manhood. The variation across settings means that programs for young people’s development and health need to be tailored and responsive to the communities they are in,” she added.
Dr. Bell said, “Despite the geographical, racial and ethnic differences seen in the study, all young people need to receive sex education and parents need to be ready to have open, honest talks with their kids.” He explained that a pediatrician could play a great role if parents are struggling with having a conversation about sex. He also added that pediatricians should be aware of these high numbers because teens who have early sex should be provided with the HPV vaccine to prevent STIs that may cause some cancers.
