More than half of teens (53%) say parents, values, and religious beliefs, influence their decisions about sex the most – far more than such other influences as friends, the media, teachers, and sex educators.

CONNECTING AND PROTECTING
Although there’s no one factor that guarantees young people will make good decisions about sex, researchers have identified one “SUPER” protective factor in preventing teen pregnancy and STD’s/HIV – parent-child connectedness (PCC).  >>More

TALKING EARLY AND OFTEN
Medical and child development experts recommend parents initiate conversations about sex and relationships when their children are young, since children are naturally curious and start asking questions about sex at an early age. They have developed guidelines for age-appropriate information that parents can use.  >>More

GETTING IN THEIR HEAD
Brain researchers have found that the adolescent brain is still “under construction.” The prefrontal cortex (the area of the brain that’s responsible for planning ahead and managing emotions) of the brain is not fully developed until almost age 25! >>More

MONITORING THE MEDIA
Experiences teens have during growth spurts in the brain have a major impact on the development of their brain. Recent brain research indicates that scenes depicted by the media (TV, movies, video games) trigger the same hormone and brain activation responses in the brain as real life experiences. >>More