Let's Talk

Start the conversation. Talk to your kids—or your parents—about sex.

Parents have more influence over their kids' decisions about sex than anyone else in their lives. Teens who say they've had good conversations with their parents about sex are more likely to delay becoming sexually active, and make healthier choices when they start having sex. Click here for tips for parents on how to start the conversation, and how to keep it going—or, if you're trying to figure out how to talk to your parent about sex, click here.

Most families are having these important conversations. But a recent study, conducted by Planned Parenthood in partnership with the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health at NYU (CLAFH) and Family Circle Magazine, found that a lot of times, parents aren't getting across the whole message that they think they are—or they aren't keeping their dialogue with their kids open on an ongoing basis. And while half of parents are comfortable talking to their kids about sex, only 18% of their kids felt comfortable participating in these talks. Click here to read more about the study, and learn ways to make those conversations really count, or here to read side-by-side perspectives from parents and their kids on the conversations they've had. For more general tips, statistics, and news stories on this subject, click here. Get ready to get talking!