One of the common myths about teens and sex (it appears to be
“Teen Week” here at World of Psychology!) is that teens nowadays
are trying to hold on to their virginity by engaging only in
oral sex as opposed to full intercourse. New research largely
debunks this myth. The study, published in the July issue of
Journal of Adolescent Health, looked at 2,200 teens ages 15
through 19 and found that teens become sexually active with both
oral sex and intercourse largely at the same time. Just under
half reported having full intercourse when survey, and just over
half reported having had oral sex. Those who identified
themselves as virgins were far less likely to say that they had
tried oral sex than those who admitted to having had full
intercourse. Within 6 months of having their first intercourse,
four out of five adolescents also reported having had oral sex.
This is not as surprising a finding when you think about it.
Teen sexuality is often a gradual ramp-up to full intercourse.
It is unlikely a teen would sim