15
found that in 2013 about 7 percent of teens looking for contra-
ception chose these long-acting types of contraception—most
commonly implants—an increase from only 0.4 percent in 2005.
Oral Sex
Sexual intercourse is not the only sexual activity in which teens
engage. Research shows that many teens have had oral sex—
during which a person uses his or her mouth to stimulate the
genitals of another person. In 2012 the CDC reported that
about two-thirds of fifteen- to twenty-four-year-olds have had
oral sex. The number who said they had oral sex before they
had intercourse was about the same as those who said they
had intercourse first.
In recent years reports have circulated about oral sex be-
coming increasingly common and casual among teens. Com-
menting on a
New York Times
article about sex, nineteen-year-
old Johnny insists, “Oral sex is huge in this generation.”
9
Some
teens say that they have oral sex instead of intercourse because
An IUD (pictured) prevents pregnancy by keeping an egg from being fertilized. Known
as a long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) method, IUDs are becoming more
popular among teens.
