Is the glass half full or half empty? About six out of ten teens
(67% of girls and 62% of guys) find it easy to talk to their parents
about relationships. Still, about one in four teens (27% of guys
and 24% of girls) say it’s difficult to talk to their parents about relationship issues.
Teens have lots of reasons why they don’t talk with their parents about
love, sex, and relationships, including fear of their parent’s reaction,
worry that their parents will think they are having sex, embarrassment,
not knowing how to bring the subject up, and the belief that parents
won’t understand. Parents want to talk to their children about these
topics but freely admit they often don’t know what to say or when to
start the conversation.
The majority of teens (51% of guys and 53% of girls) believe that
parents should start talking with their kids about sex, love, and
relationships when their kids are 13 or 14. But almost one-third
(27% of guys and 30% of girls) say the conversation should start
even earlier—at age 12 or younger. In fact, almost one in seven teens
have sex before age 15, so having a strong history of communicating
about appropriate relationships, love, and sex is important. And,
in fact, most teens say it would be easier for them to delay sex
and avoid pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest
conversations about these topics with their parents.
“To me a serious relationship doesn’t have to involve sex. It is
just deeply caring about the person you are with no matter what
they want. Being in love has a huge part in that because if you
love someone you wouldn’t push them into anything they didn’t
want to do.”
– Web Survey Response
FAST FACT : We know from previous surveys that there is a conversation
disconnect between parents and teens. Teens say that parents are
having helpful conversations with them about sex and related issues
but there is disagreement about just how often. For example—89% of
adults said that they’ve had a helpful conversation about sex, love, and
relationships with their teens but only 71% of teens agree, according to
a previous survey.
QUICK TIP: Help your parents out—be patient when they broach tough
topics such as dating and relationships, and especially sex. It can be
awkward for them too!
A TIP FOR YOUR PARENTS : Remember to talk to your kids honestly about love, sex,
and relationships. Just because they seem young doesn’t mean that
they can’t fall in love or wonder about sex.
A TIP FOR YOUR PARENTS : Recognize that your teens hate the “talk” as much as
you do. Instead of just sitting them down for one awkward talk
about sex, love, and relationships—try starting early and keeping
the conversation going as they get older. Help teens be comfortable
coming to you with questions on all topics, not just the easy ones.
Let them ask questions without judging them based on what they
ask you. And make sure you listen to the answers.