Every year, two million six hundred thousand adolescent girls become sexually active, or about seven thousand per day. Three in ten American women will become pregnant at least once before the age of twenty. In the United States, only twenty-two states are required to teach sex education. At the University of Washington, they interviewed five hundred and twenty-three women and two-thirds of the pregnant teenagers had been sexually abused. Perhaps if children learned sex education and how to protect themselves in case of sexual abuse, the number of teenage pregnancies would decrease. The age at which sex education should be taught has been debated for many years. Eighty percent of parents want their children to abstain from sexual activity until they are adults, but this is often the overriding message that it is okay to be sexually active until they are adults. that contraceptives are used. “Teenage sexual activity is costly, not only for adolescents, but also for society. Adolescents who engage in sexual activity risk many negative consequences, including STD infection, emotional and psychological harm, lower educational attainment, and out-of-wedlock pregnancies. This means that adolescents not only affect themselves but also those around them when they tolerate sexual activities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"?Get the original essaySex education may not stop adolescent sexual activity, but it reduces the number of sexual partners and the number of “casual” sexual relationships. People who were sexually abused before the age of 18 are at higher risk of unexpected pregnancy and increased risk of HIV infection. Many people have low self-esteem after being abused, which increases the risk of sexual activity. “We found that sexual abuse was strongly associated with teenage pregnancy, primarily through the strong association between sexual abuse and high-risk sexual behaviors.” This means that if you have been sexually abused, you may engage in high-risk sexual behaviors, including but not limited to unprotected sex. Sometimes sexual abuse also goes unreported because it involves a peer or someone you have to be around on a daily basis. Even though on average the predators were about five years older than the victim. Sex education often delays first sexual intercourse and increases contraceptive use. Talking about sex in a controlled environment can reduce curiosity about sexual activities, thereby reducing sexual activity in general. The message “Choose what is best for you” was not as effective as “Always avoid unprotected sex.” Both give teens a choice, but the second suggests the safest path if teens choose to become sexually active. “Traditionally, sex education messages are aimed at one of two groups: those who are sexually active and those who are not. One study suggests that messages could instead be tailored to address four groups: those who do not plan to have sex in the next year (delayers), those who plan to have sex in the during the following year (anticipators), those who had a sexual partner (singles) and those who had two..