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The age of first sexual experience hasn't gotten any younger — 17 in the U.S., and 16.5 in Canada. The use of condoms and hormonal birth controls had increased as of 2002 in the States, and in Canada, contraception use has risen — nearly 87 per cent of teens have safe sex. (This further suggests that abstinence-only programs may not work.) And adolescents here aren't having any more sex than earlier generations either. "In some ways, [teens] tend to be more conservative now than they were in the past," says McKay.
During the 1960s and '70s, sex was a rite of passage equated with youthful rebellion and liberation, he surmises. Today, many "teens have sex for reasons associated with pleasure, relationships and exploration. It's done in a different context."
The fact that "BABIES!" tops the list of news categories at www.people.com suggests that pregnancy — celebrity, teen, unplanned, out-of-wedlock, whatever — has moved into a new realm of acceptance. "It's no longer a scary word," says Ottawa-based sex therapist Sue McGarvie. "It's been normalized." Entertainment tabloids, which have long featured style-watch lists, have turned their …show more content…
She gave birth to son William almost two years ago. That change is partly because parents, teachers and health care workers are realizing that much worse things can befall an adolescent. "Now parents worry about serious drugs, HIV or AIDS," says O'Reilly, not to mention gang violence. In Juno, for example, the parents heaved a huge sigh of relief when the big news their daughter had come to confess turned out to be pregnancy — they were terrified she had been expelled or was addicted to
During the 1960s and '70s, sex was a rite of passage equated with youthful rebellion and liberation, he surmises. Today, many "teens have sex for reasons associated with pleasure, relationships and exploration. It's done in a different context."
The fact that "BABIES!" tops the list of news categories at www.people.com suggests that pregnancy — celebrity, teen, unplanned, out-of-wedlock, whatever — has moved into a new realm of acceptance. "It's no longer a scary word," says Ottawa-based sex therapist Sue McGarvie. "It's been normalized." Entertainment tabloids, which have long featured style-watch lists, have turned their …show more content…
She gave birth to son William almost two years ago. That change is partly because parents, teachers and health care workers are realizing that much worse things can befall an adolescent. "Now parents worry about serious drugs, HIV or AIDS," says O'Reilly, not to mention gang violence. In Juno, for example, the parents heaved a huge sigh of relief when the big news their daughter had come to confess turned out to be pregnancy — they were terrified she had been expelled or was addicted to