1 in 4 Idaho teens has an STI

25% of new STIs occur in teenagers

15 million new STI cases occur yearly in the US

66% of all STIs occur in people age 25 or younger

Alcohol is the #1 drug used when someone is raped

16,000 US teens are infected with an STI every weekend

1 in 3 teenaged girls will be pregnant by age 20

Half of U.S. high school students have had sex

1 in 3 teenaged girls will be pregnant by age 20

Pregnancy can occur any time you have sex

25% of Idaho teens have an STI

6 babies are born to teens in Idaho each day

6 in 10 U.S. teens wished they’d waited longer to have sex

What is your Sexpertise?

Let’s start with the basics: What is sex? There are five types of sex, classified by the type of genital contact involved between partners:

Vaginal penetration
Anal penetration
Oral (mouth) contact with a partner’s genitals
Manual/Digital (hands/fingers) contact with a partner’s genitals
Skin-to-skin contact with a partner’s genitals

Some of today’s teens are engaging in oral, anal and/or skin-to-skin contact, with the belief that “it’s not really sex.” Be clear with your teen that each of these actually is a type of sexual intercourse, and each requires protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and/or the possibility of pregnancy.

What is abstinence? It’s making a conscious decision to NOT have sex. People make this decision at different times in their lives, and for different reasons. For many, it’s the knowledge that participating in any type of sexual activity means taking some big risks, including getting an STI and/or becoming pregnant. Abstinence is the most effective way to prevent STIs and pregnancy. Birth control and condoms are also effective ways to prevent STI and pregnancy.

Click here to watch ProtecTeens, a video presentation and resource kit created to help educate parents about the potential dangers of online sexual predators.