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The one surprising reason teens may be choosing to delay sex
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The Internet may be to blame for selfies and incorrect facts, but it might also be a reason teens are becoming more responsible when it comes to their health. - photo by Shelby Slade
The Internet may be to blame for selfies and misinformation, but it might also be a reason teens are becoming more responsible when it comes to their health.

A new study from the U.S. Center for Disease Control shows that teens are having sex later and less frequently.

In 1988, 60 percent of boys and 51 percent of girls 14 and older reported they had already had sex, Danielle Paquette and Weiyi (Dawn) Cai reported for The Washington Post. Those numbers have dropped significantly to 47 percent for boys and 44 percent for girls.

One possible reason for this decline could be connected to the availability of the Internet, Paquette and Cai reported.

Dr. Brooke Bokor, an adolescent medicine specialist at the Children's National Health System, said teens are turning to the Internet for advice about health and wellness, which could promote healthier views on sex.

Theyre looking on the Web, Bokor said. Theyre looking for guidance from parents, guardians and physicians. They can and will make positive decisions for their own health, both sexual and otherwise. We really need to be prepared to treat our youth and young adults as educated consumers.

A Pew Research Center study showed that 95 percent of teens are online daily, and 73 percent of them have access to the Internet through their own smartphones.

This ever increasing access to massive stores of information is giving way to more reliance on the information found there.

CNN reported that 25 percent of teens are getting their health advice by searching Google or other similar sites. The Internet is the fourth most common way of finding health information among teens, following parents, school health classes and medical providers.

While teens still do trust their parents for health information, this study certainly emphasizes the need for online accuracy.

"This study underscores the importance of making sure there is accurate, appropriate and easily accessible health information available to teens online," the study reported. "The information is used and acted upon, so it had better be good."

This is where websites like Bedsider.org, which is run by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, come into play, Paquette and Cai wrote. The site provides teens true information about practicing safe sex and, perhaps more importantly, how to talk to parents about sex.

I mainly find it kind of moving, because it really illustrates that a lot of teens are grappling with very real, very important health challenges and that the Internet is empowering them with the information they need to take better care of themselves, Vicky Rideout, who co-authored a study on where teens found health information, told The Washington Post.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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