Embargoed for release until
May 20, 2003

(Washington, DC) — Approximately one in five adolescents has had sexual intercourse before his or her 15th birthday, according to a new report issued by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The report also notes that one in seven sexually experienced 14-year-old girls reports having been pregnant.

Parents are usually unaware if their young adolescents have had sex. Only about one-third of parents of sexually experienced 14-year-olds know that their child has had sex. And while the majority of parents say they have spoken to their young adolescent children about sex, far fewer teens report that such conversations actually took place.

The seven-chapter report — 14 and Younger: The Sexual Behavior of Young Adolescents — is the work of seven teams of investigators examining three nationally-representative data sets and three smaller area data sets. While each data set was collected at different times and in different ways, a surprisingly consistent picture emerges of sexual relationships and activity among very young teens.

Other findings from 14 and Younger include:

Dating — About half of those age 12-14 report having been on a date or having a romantic relationship in the past 18 months. About a quarter of these relationships are with someone two or more years older. For young teens, the greater the age difference between partners, the more likely the relationship will include sexual intercourse.

Opportunity — One data set indicates that young adolescents have ample opportunity to have sex. For example, one-third of 12-year-olds and about half of 14-year-olds have been at a party without any adults in the house.

Pressure — Many young adolescents describe sex as relatively “unwanted.” (That is, while the experience was voluntary on their part, they did not want to have sex when they did.)

Contraception — Between half and three-quarters of youth age 12-14 report that they used contraception the first time they had sex.

Risky behaviors — Young adolescents who were sexually experienced were more likely than virgins to engage in other risky behavior, such as smoking, illegal drug use, and drinking once a week or more.

Number of partners — Of women under the age of twenty, those who first had sex at age 14 or younger had more sexual partners, on average, than girls who first had sex at age 15 or older, increasing their risk of STDs and pregnancy.

Frequency of sex — Sex among young teens is often sporadic. Most of those age 14 and younger who have had sex had 0-2 partners in the past year.

"For many young people, sex doesn’t wait," said Sarah Brown, Director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. "This report makes clear that sex and dating are important issues for middle school age youth that cannot be ignored. Parents, in particular, should be concerned about the dangers of early dating."

Context and trends: According to figures released May 7, 2003 by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the teen pregnancy rate for those aged 15-19 declined 27% between 1990 and 1999. The teen pregnancy rate for those age 14 and younger declined 40% during that same time period. According to data from the federal government, the teen birth rate for those aged 15-19 declined 27% between 1991 and 2001. The teen birth rate for those aged 14 and younger declined 43% during the same time period. Currently there are about 20,000 pregnancies (1999) and 8,000 births (2001)
each year for those 14 and younger. (For those aged 15-19, the numbers are about 850,000 pregnancies and 450,000 births.)

About the National Campaign: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization supported largely by private donations. The Campaign’s mission is to improve the well-being of children, youth, and families by reducing teen pregnancy. Our goal is to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy by one-third between 1996 and 2005.

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