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Many teens think that they will be ready to have sex while they are still teens. There are even some adults who will rationalize that a teen may be ready if they have met certain conditions, such as having the ability to support a child. In reality, though, no American teen is ready to have sex. Psychological impacts, readiness for parenthood and relationship status must all be taken into consideration when addressing this issue.

A study published in the May 2007 issue of The American Journal of Sociology, the findings of which are summarized in New York Times article ""New Findings Add Nuance to Discussion of Early Sex"":http://www.nytimes.com/2 007/06/05/health/05baka.html, found that having sex for the first time at a younger than average age was associated with lower levels of self-esteem in girls. Additionally, when comparing girls who had been in relationships that did not last, girls who had sex for the first time in those relationships showed more depressive symptoms than girls who had not had sex. While claiming no measurable difference between those who do and do not have sex at or beyond average age, the study does eliminate the readiness of girls under the age of fifteen (the lowest average age for any of the examined social groups).

The study also pointed to no emotional implications for males, regardless of age. This finding might be explained by the differences in how sex is viewed by teenage boys and girls. In his book, Real Boys, William S. Pollack states, "Girls look at sex as signaling an act of love and the ultimate connection. Boys tend to view it, at least partially, as a way of confirming their masculinity" (p.150). Having sex would be more likely to be viewed positively by male teens than females, even if the relationship does not last. Pollack also claims sexuality is an area for boys in which "the least amount of real honesty is allowed" (p. 151), a fact that plays into the main flaw of the study, the use of self-reports. It would be unwise, then, to take this most recent study's lack of findings among males as evidence that sex has no psychological impact.

Either way, it is doubtful that teens, male or female, should have sex when their readiness for parenthood is considered. In the New York Times article ""The Myth of Rampant Teenage Promiscuity"":http://www.nytim es.com/2009/01/27/health/27wel l.html?_r=1, Dr. Maria Kefalas, an associate professor of sociology at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, notes that "research suggests kids who don't use contraception tend to be kids who are feeling lost and disconnected and not doing well." While the CDC found that condom use among sexually active teens has increased by 33% since 1991, according to Kefalas statement, teens who do not use contraception already have some emotional issues that cause them not to care about pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). These teens would also be the ones most likely to have sex resulting in a pregnancy. While they might think they are ready to raise a baby, a stronger argument can be made that they are actually the least prepared to take responsibility for another life given that they have difficulty taking responsibility for their own life. For the significant majority of sexually active teens who do use contraception, they have, by that very act, admitted they are not ready to have a child. Thus, no teen is ready to be a parent.

The third major issue to address is the relationship status of the teens. Many believe that if the teens are in a committed relationship, then they may be ready to have sex. The reasoning associated with this argument usually includes the likeliness that, if pregnancy happens to occur, the teens are at least in a stable relationship which will be conducive to raising children. However, authors Richard D. McAnulty and M. Michele Burnette point out in their book Sex and Sexuality that females who feel they know their partner are "less likely to use a condom than women who [do] not place an emphasis on relational sex." Likewise, according to The Journal of Adolescent Health, teenage boys are more likely to use contraception when having sex with a casual partner than with their girlfriend. The consequence is that these "committed" relationships are at a high risk for resulting in pregnancy. It has become more a matter of "when" than "if".

Furthermore, these relationships do not have a high probability of lasting, with or without the involvement of pregnancy and children. Dr. Mark Goulston, a psychiatrist and advisor for divorce360.com, points out that "if two teenagers can't resist the temptation to have unprotected sex, they won't be able to resist acting on other impulses" and these teenagers easily "go from anger to I hate you' to Let's break up/get a divorce/etc.'" If the relationship does result in marriage while the participants are still in their teens, the CDC lists the "rate of "disruption"":http://www.cdc.g ov/nchs/data/ad/ad323.pdf as being higher than in any other age category, with 48% of those where the wife is under 18 and 40% of those where the wife is 18 or 19 ending within the first ten years. Even if teens think their relationships are forever, the statistics indicate otherwise.

Loss of self-esteem, risk of STDs and pregnancy and the low probability of a lasting relationship make good reasons for teens not to have sex. While teens often think that they are mature enough to handle the consequences of sex, their lack of experiences in general really make them poor judges of the situation. The flawed ability of teens to assess benefits against risks will often lead them to participate in more risky behaviors than their older counterparts. To put it more simply, teens will be ready to have sex some time after they are no longer teens.

Learn more about this author, Elizabeth Olivier.
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