EDUCATION ABOUT STDS
Education about STDs must be started early and include information about abstinence, as well as ways to protect oneself from becoming infected with an STD if one is sexually active. More and more young people are becoming sexually active at younger ages. Whether or not this is a good thing, it is a fact: teenagers account for about three million of the twelve million people infected with STDs in the United States each year, and two-thirds of those infected each year are younger than twenty-five.
Abstinence (not having sex) until you are older and better informed is the best solution.
Waiting to have sex allows a young person to develop as an individual and to focus on school and other interests. Young people who are already sexually active, however, need information on how to protect themselves from infection and pregnancy. Studies have shown that children who take sex education classes are actually less likely to engage in sexual activity, and if they do, they are more likely to use condoms. Education about STDs and safe sex is the first step in helping prevent infection.
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