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Mauricio Mejia
Humanities
18 May 2014
STIs and Teens
In the United States one out of four teenagers have sexually transmitted infections,
making the rate of sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, at an all time high among teens today
(Reinberg). Sexually transmitted infections are, as the name suggests, infections and diseases,
that are transmitted through sexual intercourse. The American education system has been sub par
in requiring high school students to take a sexual education course, resulting in a huge spike in
STIs in the teen population. Greater efforts to provide teenagers with proper information about
how to have safe sex, before they begin engaging in sexual intercourse, needs to be implemented
in.
STIs have become more common among teens recently because of the increase in the
number of teens having unprotected sex and insufficient education about sex. For example, In a
nationally representative survey high school students, 67% of males and 54% of females said
they had used a condom at last sexual intercourse (Sexual Health of).This quote show that many
teens do not use a condom when they have sex. If teenagers are sexually active their best option
is a condom, but the only way to be 100% sure teenagers do not get an STI is with abstinence.
However this is not the only reason why STI rates for teens are at an all time high. Teens are
often uneducated in the subject of safe sex. For instance, Many educators feel anxious or
tentative in tackling the topics of sex, sexuality, and sexual health. They may feel overwhelmed
about where to start or confused about what to teach and when to teach it (Implementing Sex
Education.) This quote explains that many students are misinformed about STIs. This affects
teens because many schools have eliminated sexual education programs from their curriculum.

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Because of misinformed schools and unprotected sex, the number of teens with STIs has risen to
an all time high.
STIs have many long term effects on teenagers including infertility and heart disease. For
instance Today, 4 out of 10 sexually active teen girls have had an STI that can cause infertility
and even death (Sexually Transmitted Diseases).This statistic shows that many teenage girls
that get an STI may be at further risk of not having a baby. This affects teens because infertility
causes them to not be able to have children and many teens want to have a family in the future.
However, this is not the only way teens are affected by STIs. For example, If left untreated,
syphilis can lead to heart disease, brain damage, blindness, paralysis or death (Sexually
Transmitted Diseases). This facts show that STIs, mainly syphilis, can lead to many health
complications, including heart disease. This affects teen because it gives them conditions that
could potentially restrict them in sports and do not allow to do strenuous activities. STIs affect
teens in many negative ways by giving the person affected many health problems, including
infertility and heart disease.
There are various solutions to help reduce the number of teens that have STIs in America.
One solution is to abstain from sex. For example, The only way to completely prevent STDs is
to abstain from all types of sexual contact (Lirsch). This quote explains that the only way teens
can be 100% sure about contracting STIs is by abstaining from sexual intercourse. This is
something that may be difficult to do because teens might be pressured into having sex with
someone if they have a partner. The hormones may also be raging, which could make abstaining
from sex even more difficult. However, this is not the only solution to prevent STIs. During
sexual intercourse teens should use a condom to reduce the risk of getting an STI. For instance,
If someone is going to have sex, the best way to reduce the chance of getting an STD is by

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using a condom every time(Lirsch). This quote show that using a condom helps prevent STIs. If
teens are planning to have sex with their partners, they should always use a condom if they want
to avoid STIs. Still, condoms are not 100% effective. There is still a small chance of getting an
STI but it is still good option. Abstinence and condoms are the best protective measures to
protect teens from STIs.
It is very important for schools to implement sex education to show teens how to have
safe sex and prevent STIs. STIs have risen because a lot of teens do not wear condoms during
sex, and teens dont get enough education in the topic of safe sex. STIs can lead to long-term
effects including heart disease and infertility. Abstaining from sex or using a condom safely can
help teens avoid STIs. School districts need to have more classes about sex to help teens prevent
STIs, and teens need to use a condom every time they have sex. Society overall needs to help
shine some light on the many problems of STIs.














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Work Cited
Hirsch, Larissa. About Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Nemours. January 2014. 6 May 2014
<http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/stds/std.html>
Sexual Health of Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States. Kaiser Family
Foundation. 28 March 2013. 11 May 2014
http://kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/sexual-health-of-adolescents-and-young-
adults-in-the-united-states/
Sexually Transmitted Diseases. TeenLink Houston. 11 May 2014
http://www.teenlinkhouston.org/std.htm
Sexually Transmitted Infections/Diseases. Indiana University Health. 11 May 2014

http://iuhealth.org/bloomington/about/community-health/teen-options/parents/sexually-
transmitted -diseases-stds/