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RSS FeedSexually active teens compromise academic success
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| Agree | 47% | 26 votes | Total: 55 votes | |
| Disagree | 53% | 29 votes |
Agree
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Add to FavoritesThere is no question that a sexually active teen will compromise their academic success. More often than not, once a teen begins to be sexually active, they will continue. Although teens become involved for a variety of reasons, they lack the self-discipline and logic reasoning to be cautious. This eventually leads to low self-esteem, peer pressure and less interest in school and academic accomplishments.
It's tempting to believe that teens who are sexually active do so only an occasion. More realistically, teens are drinking alcohol and doing drugs, both of which will lead to their being involved in sexual activity. They will continue on that path of destruction unless there is some intervention before they become a statistic.
Of course, it is not fair to lump all teens in that category. However, this is the end result for most teens who are sexually active. Unfortunately, the least of their worries these days is becoming pregnant. It is possible to continue schooling while pregnant, and especially if a teen has their parent's support. But there is nothing worse than contracting a STD that quite possibly would ruin the rest of their life. Although there are curable STDs, casual sexual activity can and does lead to life threatening diseases, and worse, can lead to cervical cancer.
If you consider all of the ramifications of a pregnant teen with a serious STD, you can well imagine how all of this would detrimentally compromise their academic success. The effects of having treatments for STDs, along with the pregnancy would create such stress on the teen they would loose all incentive to perform well in school. The possible damage to the fetus would be of major concern as STDs can lead to blindness, and other physical impairment.
There have been many documentaries on television addressing this issue. Obviously these teens have serious personal problems that have led to their lifestyle of prostitution. But many of them are runaways and are seeking others with whom they can hang out. The sexual activity is not for money, but as way to bond with these new friends. They find places to stay, and some even get work in order to pool their resources for food. Many of these teens eventually return home, but they tend to keep in touch with those with whom they can seek out when they need refuge.
The number of teens that become sexually active are in the thousands nationwide. Whether it is due to boredom, or because they think they are in love, their level of concentration is disrupted and it does compromise their academic success.
Learn more about this author, Donna Marie Gray.
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Disagree
Does a sexually active teen do worse in school than another teen that isn't? Chances are, it won't have much impact on their academic success.
Teens nowadays are having sex at a young age, and surely it's causing a lot of problems, such as teen pregnancy. As well, there's a great need for more education on the topic because of STIs (sexually transmitted infections), but would being sexually active hinder one's education?
Of course not. When a teen sleeps with someone one night, does it mean that they'll start doing poorly in school for the weeks after that? There's no indication that students who are sexually active will do badly, and I doubt it'd be much of a problem. If a teen is spending more time in bed with someone else than studying, of course it'll be a problem, but with teens in the present, it's often a once-in-a-while occurrence, not something that happens every other night.
Let's give a basic definition of "sexually active": engages in sex acts on a regular basis. Let's say a teen sleeps with someone once every couple of months, the norm for sexually active teens nowadays. Maybe directly after their first time they may be excited or may be a bit preoccupied with it, but it certainly won't hinder their grades. If they regret it or are having problems with their friends because of it, it may affect their performance in school, but if they're sexually active, they'd be "used to it", and it'd be an occasional event that passes by like a weekend at the mall. It might become a topic for gossip, but that sort of thing probably wouldn't get on a teen's mind too deeply.
It might even be beneficial for a teen, because they may feel refreshed after a night in bed or maybe have a little more self-esteem. Especially for those hormonal and sexually frustrated boys, a night in bed can help relieve them of those thoughts, and maybe even do better in school.
Assuming a teen does not get pregnant or sick, or get into any legal trouble arising from sex, a teen would have virtually nothing, concerning academics, to worry about. Hopefully, the teen would be wise and not go to bed with someone during their exam month, and certainly using protection to avoid getting pregnant or some sort of sexually transmitted disease. Overall, a teen would not compromise academic success for sex, as having sex once in a while is like, for sexually active teens, a day at the amusement park or a party every once in a while.
Learn more about this author, Leon Li.
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