OUR OPINION: Teens risking their health and more

The three-part series, “Rated Risky,” that ran in this newspaper earlier this week was probably a shock to a lot of parents.

And many, or most, would say they don't recognize their teen in this picture.

That's one of the most telling lessons from our investigation into what teens are doing on their own time. They don't tell their parents -- and most parents don't ask.

Maybe parents don't want to know, or maybe they are afraid to know.

What kids are doing is risky and often downright scary. They are engaging in various kinds of sexual behavior at a younger age. They are having casual sex without fully understanding the consequences involved, and many are being forced to have sex against their will. What's worse, in cases where force is used, a lot of youths don't think it's necessarily wrong, much less a crime.

The understanding of what constitutes date rape is woefully lacking. No wonder so many adults, and teens, were shocked to read that students at Canton High School and Braintree High had been charged with raping teenage girls.

The overwhelming majority of teens, male and female, understand that forced sex is wrong. But when even 7 percent or 10 percent of boys think it's OK in certain circumstances, alarm bells should go off.

Girls who are forced to do things they don't want to, even after they say no, are afraid to tell their parents, much less the police. One reason is that society's attitudes haven't changed much even while most adults now have a clear understanding of what constitutes rape. Girls who tell rightly fear they will be blamed or branded, or both.

There was good news in the survey the Ledger conducted among 527 teens: The amount of violence in teen dating relationships has dropped significantly from results the Ledger compiled in 1993. Then, 57 percent of boys and 73 percent of girls said violence was a serious problem among schoolmates. Now, those numbers are 15 percent and 12 percent.

So, kids have learned, apparently, that violence is not acceptable. And they are savvy about protecting themselves against unwanted pregnancies, because teenage birth rates continue to decline steadily.

But they seem unaware of other risks associated with casual and sometimes promiscuous or involuntary sex. For both males and females, the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease grows higher each day. As more teens have more partners, the rate for diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea rises exponentially. Some sexually transmitted diseases will last long after teen dating partners have faded from memory.

Boys who take chances or don't understand the import of forcing sex on a girl are inviting the possibility of a police record and a term in jail.

Then there are the emotional repercussions from having sex at an age when kids aren't equipped to deal with it.

What's to be done about this disturbing scene? Many schools use programs that teens say work. “The Yellow Dress” -- about a high school girl who is killed by her boyfriend -- is considered a success, as is The White Ribbon Campaign, which educates young people about emotional and physical abuse.

But schools are not the first teachers, and many schools and teachers are hesitant to discuss issues that should be dealt with at home -- middle-schoolers having sex, for example.

Parents have to wake up to the changing world around them. Their youngsters are being influenced by powerful forces, including the entertainment media, and are under more peer pressure than ever to conform.

Schools and community organizations should think about having more programs for parents, to help them deal with and prevent the risks their children are taking. Most of all, to help them talk with their children about subjects everyone is reluctant to discuss. One thing that was clear from the teens we contacted: They were grateful when their parents sat down and leveled with them.

The parent/child conversation barrier must be broken.

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