Investigate a Social Issue: Sexuality of the Teen and Young Adult
Kamala Buck
Strayer University
Introduction to Sociology
June 3, 2012
Val Margarit, M.A., Ed.S

Investigating the Social Issue: Sexuality of the Teen and Young Adult
How can we educate our teen and young adults about sex in society today? This subject is very sensitive in the home, in the school and even in the church. Our teens today need to be educated on this subject as statistics show that there are growing numbers of teen pregnancies and HIV/ STD cases today.
In an article written by Deborah Myers, Educating our Teens about Sex, she writes that it is extremely important they we as parents start to talk to our children when they are younger about their body parts and how they function. By doing this when they are young, this lays the foundation for more detailed conversation about sexuality when they are older. There will be less embarrassment and they are more likely to come to the parent with questions and advise on topics as they get older. By approaching the subject of sexuality naturally and as a healthy bodily function, this eliminates guilt and fears associated with the subject.
Today as parents in the United States, we tend to focus mainly on the dangers of sex. Parents, educators and health care providers warn young people against the risks of sex and heartbreak, but unfortunately that does not give them the tools to navigate the territory of sexuality and relationships in a healthy way. Janice D’Arcy, a writer for the Washington Post says that one way that we can curtail teenage sexuality is to stop denying that they are having sex. In a recent study, by author Amy Schalet, an assistant professor of Sociology at the Investigating the Social Issue: Sexuality of the Teen and Young Adult 2
University of Massachusetts writes in her book “Not Under My Roof: Parents,