No matter what your child's age, the topic of sex either has, or will, come up. We've all heard the horror stories, but trying to sort out rumor from reality can be overwhelming for parents. NBC’s Katie Couric recently sat down with 20 teens from across the country, all between the ages of 13 and 17, for a revealing, and sometimes shocking conversation about what's really going on.
Katie Couric: “How do teenagers view oral sex today?”
Galen: “It's like not a big deal or not as big a deal to some people because it's not sex. It's not intercourse, and it's just like, it's not as intimate or anything like that. Everyone just sees it as casual. Maybe not as casual as kissing, but it's like, no big whoop.”
No big whoop? If that one left you reeling, wait until you hear today's sexual vocabulary.
Tsetan: “Hooking up is kind of like a one-night stand. You can do anything. But it's like a one-time thing.”
And then there's something called "friends with benefits." But what exactly is that, and why are some parents so worried?
Danny's dad: “It's the casualness, in the sense that it's just for friends. I may not have romantic feelings for the person, but I'll do it for him. That to me is a big change.”
It's a big change, but is everybody really doing it?
Danny: “In my school I know it's less than 15 to 10 percent have actually had oral. It's really what you're perception of common is. So I say it's not common.
Couric: “So ten to 15. Did you do a survey, Danny?”
Danny: “It's like less than 10 -- one out of 10 kids would have had oral sex.
Couric: “And what grade are you in?”
Danny: “Eighth.”
There will be many more results from our landmark survey, as well as much more of that fascinating and at times frightening conversation with teens, Wednesday night in Katie Couric’s hour special, "The 411: Teens and Sex," airing at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. We'll also provide some advice for parents trying to help navigate their teens through this tricky new world. Bear in mind, this is a special that's not just for people with teenagers at home, but for anyone who's concerned about what today's kids are doing. And for anyone looking for yet more information on this topic, we'll have experts on hand on the ‘Today’ show on Thursday morning to answer some of your questions, submitted below.
