Believe It Or Not, Today's Teenagers Have Misgivings About Teenage Sex

In pop culture’s breezy treatment of the matter, teenagers have an uncomplicated relationship with sex: Apart from the designated nerds, everyone’s having carefree sexual fun or conniving to do so at the earliest opportunity. A more complex picture emerges, however, when you interrogate real-life teenagers about sex, as ABC News did in a survey of kids age 13-17.

The haves aren’t necessarily happier than the have-nots. The poll found that “teens who are currently in a sexual relationship are 15 points less likely than their counterparts to say they’re ‘very satisfied’ with their lives overall (47 percent compared with 62 percent).