1 in 4 teen girls have at least one STI

90 percent of parents report having had a helpful conversation about delaying sex and avoiding pregnancy with their teenage children, compared to 71 percent of teens who report hav­ing had such a conversation with their parents.

In a study of 700 teens in Phila­delphia, 58 percent of the teens reported being sexually active, while only one-third of their mothers believed they were.

Teens who reported greater satisfaction in their relationships with their mothers were less likely to have sex and become pregnant (and were also more likely to use birth control during their most recent sexual experience) one year later than peers who felt less satisfied in their relationships with their mothers

Increased parental monitoring is strongly associated with decreased likelihood of sexual activity in almost all studies

Parents should:

• Avoid sending ambiguous and mixed messages about teen sex;
• Convey clearly to their teens their values on this subject;
• Focus on imparting clearly defined values—sim­ply discussing sex, contraceptives, and physiol­ogy does not necessarily protect teens; and
• Seek to strengthen their relationships with their teenage children.

By ninth grade, one teen in three has had sex, and by 12th grade, two in three.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/bg2194.cfm