Should Sex Education Be Increased in Schools?

Sex education should be increased in schools in attempt to curb problems, such as teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Education is the solution to learning new things. Being secluded of any type of education may promote ignorance to that which could be learned. An increase in sex education could promote a healthier sex life for children and teenagers to think about for their future. Sex education is usually taught in schools in 7th grade, and only for a week or two during their Physical Education or Health class. With that being said, four out of ten teenage girls experience their first intercourse around the ages of 13 or 14 years. The average age for a 7th grader is 13, which could mean that children may have already experienced sexual encounters. In fact, the main rise in teenage pregnancy is among girls younger than 15 years of age. If sex education were to be taken more seriously and taught earlier in schools, then many teenagers would have been able to prevent their pregnancy. Sexually transmitted diseases are reaching epidemic levels in the United States. Of the 12 million cases of STDs, 3 million, or 25%, are teenagers. About 13% of 13 to 19 year olds contract a STD each year. Sexually transmitted diseases are not only a concern to many young people, but many young people also do not know about STDs until they contract them. If sex education were to teach children and teenagers about the many harms and consequences of not being protected, then the quantity of people with a STD could have prevented it from occurring. Many people believe that sex education would only lead to a higher sexual intake. They believe that if their children were being exposed to the knowledge of sex, then they would become curious and explore into sex. In reality, the more knowledge children and teenagers have about sex, the more preventive. If sex education were taught to a younger audience, then the teenage girls who became pregnant before 15 could