Weeding out the roots of evil – some reasons behind an increasing trend of teen sex in Singapore and some solutions to them

Teenage sex - a passing fad or a permanent pressing issue? Whatever the answer, one thing is for certain - it is now getting worse in Singapore. According to the August 15th 2009 Straits Times article, “More girls under age 14 having sex”, Crime statistics showed that the number of statutory rape cases involving girls under 14 jumped more than 70 per cent, to 37 cases, compared to the same period last year.

“What are the driving forces behind teenage sex?” some might ask. Many things could cause the rising trend of teen sex in Singapore. Among them are accessibility and changing societal norms and peer pressure. I shall examine these reasons more closely and explain their role as causes for the increase in teenage sex cases in Singapore. I will also voice my stand in what can be done by what parties to rectify these problems.

Firstly, accessibility – nowadays, research materials, social networking sites, etc. are available at the click of a button. Various materials are also allowed to be published on the web with almost no restrictions. Examples include blogs, where netizens can post anything on the blog. However, along with this freedom of expression comes the definite threat of pornographic material posted on the net. Other than occasional warnings against visiting these sites if you are underage, there are almost no means of prohibiting access to these underage visitors. When teens visit these sites, they often do so for pleasure and once the euphoria from “DIY sex” wears off, they often look for other, better means of obtaining sexual pleasure, sometimes go so far as to mimic acts learned from pornographic websites – hence, teen sex. All my points can be seen to be supported in an asiaoneHealth article which says that “ Youth counsellors and doctors point to the influence of cyberspace as one possible cause for the trend... With pornography readily available online, teens not only get more used to the idea of sex, but they also learn at a young age how to do it.” (See more in article http://www.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20080407-58557.html)

“With great power comes great responsibility.” The power of the internet lets us have anything we want at our fingertips. However, teens must be responsible and they, as young adults, should be able to decide for themselves what they can view. Parents are also responsible for the websites that their teens view and should do as much as they can to either block accessibility to unsuitable websites or at least monitor their teens’ internet activities. They should also talk to their child openly about teen sex to educate them about its implications.

The second cause behind teen sex would be changing societal norms and peer pressure. In the past, underage sex was often considered to be a sin. Even though it is still frowned upon by adults, teens nowadays think it is “cool” and some decide to try it out with their partner. Since the changing societal norms (among teens at least) makes teens consider sex to be “cool”, peer pressure from trying to be among the “in” crowd would result in teens resorting to having teen sex to be cooler than their friends. Even “Dr Carol Balhetchet... has also noticed a mindset shift in teenagers in the last five years. ‘Gone are the days when virginity is pure. It is now cool to have sex,' she said...’” (See more in article http://www.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20080407-58557.html)

Schools, in this case, play an important role in rooting out this problem. Sexual education in schools should convince students that having teen sex is not cool and that the dangers and consequences of teen sex (including the possibility of having to parent a baby/getting sexually transmitted diseases) far outweigh the short period of pleasure that the teens will experience.

This list of causes and their rectifications is not exhaustive; there are many more reasons why more teens nowadays are having teenage sex and many more solutions to these reasons.

Teenage sex is not just breaking the law; it presents some of teens with a heavy responsibility – that of having to raise a child. Faced with this responsibility, teens often have to make tough decisions not meant for people their age to make – like abortion or abandonment. And that’s not to mention the increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases through sex. This is not a very nice position to be put in at such a tender age. Let us examine the root of the problem – what causes teenagers to be driven to have sex at such a young age, and one day, hopefully, be able to implement solutions, such as those mentioned above, to solve the roots of these problems.

Weeding out the roots of evil – some reasons behind an increasing trend of teen sex in Singapore and some solutions to them

Teenage sex - a passing fad or a permanent pressing issue? Whatever the answer, one thing is for certain - it is now getting worse in Singapore. According to the August 15th 2009 Straits Times article, “More girls under age 14 having sex”, Crime statistics showed that the number of statutory rape cases involving girls under 14 jumped more than 70 per cent, to 37 cases, compared to the same period last year.
“What are the driving forces behind teenage sex?” some might ask. Many things could cause the rising trend of teen sex in Singapore. Among them are accessibility and changing societal norms and peer pressure. I shall examine these reasons more closely and explain their role as causes for the increase in teenage sex cases in Singapore. I will also voice my stand in what can be done by what parties to rectify these problems.
Firstly, accessibility – nowadays, research materials, social networking sites, etc. are available at the click of a button. Various materials are also allowed to be published on the web with almost no restrictions. Examples include blogs, where netizens can post anything on the blog. However, along with this freedom of expression comes the definite threat of pornographic material posted on the net. Other than occasional warnings against visiting these sites if you are underage, there are almost no means of prohibiting access to these underage visitors. When teens visit these sites, they often do so for pleasure and once the euphoria from “DIY sex” wears off, they often look for other, better means of obtaining sexual pleasure, sometimes go so far as to mimic acts learned from pornographic websites – hence, teen sex. All my points can be seen to be supported in an asiaoneHealth article which says that “ Youth counsellors and doctors point to the influence of cyberspace as one possible cause for the trend... With pornography readily available online, teens not only get more used to the idea of sex, but they also learn at a young age how to do it.” (See more in article http://www.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20080407-58557.html)
“With great power comes great responsibility.” The power of the internet lets us have anything we want at our fingertips. However, teens must be responsible and they, as young adults, should be able to decide for themselves what they can view. Parents are also responsible for the websites that their teens view and should do as much as they can to either block accessibility to unsuitable websites or at least monitor their teens’ internet activities. They should also talk to their child openly about teen sex to educate them about its implications.
The second cause behind teen sex would be changing societal norms and peer pressure. In the past, underage sex was often considered to be a sin. Even though it is still frowned upon by adults, teens nowadays think it is “cool” and some decide to try it out with their partner. Since the changing societal norms (among teens at least) makes teens consider sex to be “cool”, peer pressure from trying to be among the “in” crowd would result in teens resorting to having teen sex to be cooler than their friends. Even “Dr Carol Balhetchet... has also noticed a mindset shift in teenagers in the last five years. ‘Gone are the days when virginity is pure. It is now cool to have sex,' she said...’” (See more in article http://www.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20080407-58557.html)
Schools, in this case, play an important role in rooting out this problem. Sexual education in schools should convince students that having teen sex is not cool and that the dangers and consequences of teen sex (including the possibility of having to parent a baby/getting sexually transmitted diseases) far outweigh the short period of pleasure that the teens will experience.
This list of causes and their rectifications is not exhaustive; there are many more reasons why more teens nowadays are having teenage sex and many more solutions to these reasons.
Teenage sex is not just breaking the law; it presents some of teens with a heavy responsibility – that of having to raise a child. Faced with this responsibility, teens often have to make tough decisions not meant for people their age to make – like abortion or abandonment. And that’s not to mention the increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases through sex. This is not a very nice position to be put in at such a tender age. Let us examine the root of the problem – what causes teenagers to be driven to have sex at such a young age, and one day, hopefully, be able to implement solutions, such as those mentioned above, to solve the roots of these problems.