Does anyone think that magazines that young girls now read are too frank and intimate about sex. I read a magazine aimed at the 12-16 range and they were talking about sexual positions and have seen girls as young as 10 and 11 reading them.
I don't want to patronise because i am 19 but when i was 12 (nearly 8 years ago) magazines aimed at young girls talked about pop bands, fashion, sleepovers and how to kiss a boy let alone sleep with him.
I mean its not just magazines, pop bands and singers such as Christina A and Britney Spears promote sex in their videos and lyrics that young girls listen to.
I think in the space of 6 or 7 years the pressure for young girls to have sex has exploded.
The UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe and is second to the US, and STDs now on the rise (one of the most serious Chlamydia is on the increase with girls as young as 14 contracting it).
I do admit i read magazines when i was 16/17 about sex and although i felt peer pressure i felt no need to give in to it. I was going to when i was ready.
In the UK there are magazines aimed at girls between the ages of 8 and 12 and with girls that young wanting to be as old as possible (they basically wearing the same clothes as me!). I mean i saw a girl who was 10 asking her mum to buy her cosmo girl and J17!.
There are numerous magazines such as sugar, J17, cosmogirl, shout, etc ect is it this bad in other countries?
I am not saying that young women should wait until they are married to have sex but what i am saying is that girls are growing up too fast learning about things too quickly with the unbelievable easiness they can access sex.
I mean how likely is that young girl aged 10 dressed as a 19 year old in a few years time to become a young mother?

Does anyone else have views on this?

:no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no:

Me being 14... This is how I feel... There is pressure for young girls to have sex. I feel you should have sex when you ready and willing. Doing it for popularity will just get you a bad name. That's why I wont let pressure get to me. Bliss magazine supports young peoples rights.

I think their saying is, "be sexy be sussed". They support this on t-shirts and posters and sometimes get celebrities to support them. 'Bliss' is trying really hard to get the message across and it makes me sad other magazines wont join them.

We musn't forget there is pressure on guys also... Some people don't bring this up when they talk about pressure and underage sex. But guys are pressured to, maybe not as much but they still are.

Much Love,
Louise.
xx
:noangel:

Yikes. You have no idea how much pressure there is on guys to "get laid" and such forth. It's truly digusting.

I agree that girls (and boys) are being pressured to have sex at a younger and younger age. My theory as to why this is happening is the following:

Sex sells. We've all heard it, and - much as I'd love to deny it - it's true. You make a product sexy, and people are going to buy it. As younger children get a larger amount of spending money, the manufacturing world needs to target their product at a younger audience so that it sells well. They've continued to use sex as their tactic, so children are learning the facts of life and what sex is and what it is to be sexy when they are very young.

It's sad, isn't it? What we really need is better sex education and better condom advertising campaigns.

I agree with Logan.

Like smoking that comes with a warning label.

It's everywhere, TV, magazines etc.

They should remind people the legal age to have sex.

Louise :kissi:

Kids are getting exposed to this stuff younger and younger. Two of my brothers were 12 when they first had sex, and I'm guessing the girls were too. Not all young kids have older siblings like my 13 year-old sister who show them how it really is and make sure they don't get hurt. It was brought up on 7th Heaven this week. They're going to do it more than ever now no matter what. The least that could be done is the encouragment of safe sex. I was 18 when I lost my virginity, and I wasn't ready. Age isn't a factor, it's purely the judgment of the individual.

I agree. But really, I've never met a girl my age (17), let alone younger than me, that showed real signs of being mature enough for sex. Maybe they were physically (I know I am) but emotionally and mentally? And whether they're ready or not has little to do with whether or not they're responsible.

It's a little irritating that so many people think it can't happen to them and then, to fix their mistake, some result to abortions. I'm pro-abortion but what a waste! You waste what could have been a life, money, and probably respect for what? Seconds of an orgasm (IF even that)? Are condoms THAT much of a hassle?

Besides the fact that children are being exposed to it so early, parents should be doing everything they can to educate. I'm not going to want my future children to have sex, even at my age, but as long as they know the consequences of unsafe, pre-marital shagging, and know exactly how to prevent them, the only other thing I can do for them is set a good example and maintain an honest relationship.

Sucks that too many pre-teens think they're in they're 20's--and dress like it--though.

I would like to highlight a different point to this.

First I would like to emphasize that I am not a friend of early sex and 19 and virgin for a reason myself. But I don't think that the vast display of sex, nudity and the like plain and simply lead to young sex.

The first thing it leads to is information. And you can say the worst things about teen magazines, but they do support safe sex etc. And not only that, by telling girls that sex is a wonderful thing, a mutual, beautiful thing they enable them to distinguish between what a guy wants and what they want.

I don't know, 30 years ago some women didn't even know what an orgasm is, because the whole topic was so stigmatized and a total taboo.

De-taboo-ing ANY topics can only be in our interest. If a girl knows how to get her own pleasure out of sex, how to say no, how to even touch herself without fearing to get blind or anything - that a good thing.

Of course all that does not provide young girls with personality and character - that can ony Parents, Surroundings, Family, Friends etc. do. Give the kids strength to filter information for their own good.
That is what the ficus should be on in my opinion and not to filter the information before it reaches our children, because that is the problem, young ppl pur age can't look after themselves, they have no sense of self-responsibility (at least the ones do that we talk about here - when we say that teen magazines make them have sex early) - and to teach them that as soon as possible, leaves an open an honest display of sex a good thing.

*kiss*
:heartbeat: Dew

Good point. Very good point.

Maybe it is a good idea to introduce it to them sooner, only because then you can get more information. It only covers contraception but not the emotional pain someone could go through if having underage and possibly unprotected sex.

People should be taught more about the emotional side of things aswell as the possibilities, like getting pregnant or the passing on of STI's.

Louise Ann
xx
:sneaky: