One of the biggest taboo topics in the presence of Victorian-styled parents of today is sex but this very forbidding nature of the topic upsets the young society, experts suggest. To the horror of these parents, some revelations have come up. Unfortunately for them, all of them relate very closely to sex.
Children who are either in their teens or are infiltrating the teen age group, have engaged in physical intimacy way ahead of times with a juvenile disregard towards possible repercussions. In the west, reportedly 97% of children have watched pornography before attainment of the age that befits adulthood (18 in India).
Psychologists and sexologists have ascertained that the most probable reason for the age for consensual sex coming down to bare teens rests on some organic aspects. Children nowadays attain puberty earlier than they should. While there is no fixed age for the latter, 11 was thought to be the earliest. Now, children, as early as 9, attain puberty. This is primarily because the sexual environment infused into their naïve brains causes early influence. In Australia, some said the ‘pornographic’ environment around children was almost sure to bring about a sea change in the way sex was perceived or the age in which the latter was okay. Internet and friends are the biggest sources of sexual information, reports say.
In India, medical centers have witnessed a significant rise in the number of teenage pregnancy cases. While very very few proceed with it, the majority gets rid of it. The better among the naives who are aware of possible upshots engage in safe sex or pop in pills meant to clear apparent symbols of sexual intimacy. The medical hubs say that a bulk of the abortion cases that they register, are that of teenagers. Doctors say there is a need to have uninhibited chats with parents and not allies. The helpline numbers that are meant for counseling, especially for sex related queries and problems, have recorded a steady rise in the number of calls they receive from children aged between 12 and 19.
Some doctors have maintained that children today could not draw the line and that has resulted in the thin line between love and lust getting blurred. Also the string that detaches romance from sex has faded letting in a host of adolescents engaging in physical intimacy in the name of love and romance. Reportedly more than 25% of all teenagers have been approached by the opposite sex for having a romantic tryst in seclusion. Statistically speaking, 65% of young men have had engaged in primary physical intimacy that includes hugging and kissing their partners while 40% of men and 26% of girls have participated in premarital sex, either safe or unprotected.
Suitable approaches towards children on part of parents that are not typified by rigorousness are the need of the hour while a friendly approach and a candid parent-child conversation serves even better.
The writer is a correspondent of Youth Ki Awaaz.