ABC News Poll: Sex Lives of American Teens

The source of information matters: Teens who say they've gotten most of their information about sex from friends rather than from teachers or parents, are two to three times likelier to engage in sexual touching, oral sex and sexual intercourse.

A comfort level is important. Among teens who've discussed sex with their parents, more than eight in 10 say they're comfortable doing so, and nearly nine in 10 say the discussion answered most of their questions. But among those who haven't spoken with their parents about sex, only about half say they'd be comfortable doing so.

As noted, the value to parents of developing that comfort and dialogue is clear: Among sexually active teens, 76 percent of those who talk with their parents about sex say their parents know at least something (if not everything) about their sexual activity. But among those who don't talk, just 43 percent say their parents know anything at all about what they're up to.

Communication from parents might counter other, competing messages and hazards. As noted, more than half of teens say they get at least occasional e-mail spam or pop-up ads about sex or pornographic Web sites; nearly a quarter get them "very often."

Nearly three in 10 have visited porn Web sites, rising to 51 percent of boys ages 15 to 17. A third have visited an Internet chat room where sex was being discussed -- rising to half of 17-year-olds (boys and girls alike). Among teens who've visited such sites, 9 percent, nearly one in 10, say they've participated in online sex chats.

What Are Teens Doing?

There's clearly a significant level of sexual activity among teens. Seventy percent say "most" or "a lot" of the teenagers they know engage in romantic kissing; 46 percent in intimate touching; 24 percent in oral sex; and 27 percent in sexual intercourse. And these numbers are higher among older teens, age 15 to 17.

In terms of their own activity, 63 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds say they've kissed romantically, rising to 73 percent of those 15 and up. Forty-four percent report sexual touching; among older teens, it's 55 percent. Nineteen percent of all teens, and 27 percent of older teens, say they've had oral sex. As many have had sexual intercourse.

These are not all ongoing activities: Fifteen percent of all teens, and 20 percent of older teens, say they're "currently involved" in a sexual relationship.

All these sexual activities rise with age -- they're lowest by far at age 13, rising sharply at age 14, and then jumping again particularly at age 17.

Among 13-year-olds, for example, 36 percent have kissed romantically; at 14 it shoots up to 61 percent, and among 17-year-olds it's 84 percent. Fifteen percent of 13-year-olds report sexual touching; that more than doubles to 38 percent of 14-year-olds, then jumps to 63 percent of 17-year-olds.

The biggest jumps in oral sex and intercourse occur later, from ages 16 to 17. About a quarter of 16-year-olds say they've had oral sex, and 21 percent say they've had sexual intercourse -- sizable numbers in themselves but ones that spike to 42 and 43 percent among 17-year-olds.

While teens who've had intercourse report an average of four partners, that's boosted by a few who report particularly high numbers of partners (as many as 53). The median -- half are higher, half lower -- is two partners.

There's a difference in some behaviors among racial groups. Compared with whites, nonwhite teens are more likely to say they've had sexual intercourse, 31 percent versus 14 percent, and to have engaged in intimate touching, 53 percent versus 40 percent. (Nonwhite teens are not significantly more apt to have had oral sex, 23 versus 16 percent). Nonwhites are much more apt than white teens to be very concerned about contracting HIV (69 percent).

Other surveys have had other estimates of the overall incidence of intercourse among teenagers, ranging from 32 to 47 percent. Differences may include the age of the population studied and the data collection methods (self-administered questionnaire or telephone survey, and with or without parental permission). More important than the precise incidence is the global picture -- the exploration of attitudes and behaviors associated with sexual activity among teens.

PRESSURE -- This survey finds, for example, that teens who feel pressure in other aspects of their lives -- especially to take drugs or drink alcohol but also to "fit in" or "look good" are more apt to feel pressure to be sexually active as well. Those with girlfriends or boyfriends are also more likely to feel pressure to have sex.

And teens who feel such pressure are more likely to give in to it: More than a third of those who feel pressure to have sex have done so. Among teens who don't feel pressure to have sex, by contrast, far fewer have -- 14 percent.

Moreover, 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). Such results suggest that at least some teen sexual activity can be seen as an expression of broader personal discontent.

Self-esteem also plays some role, at least among girls: Girls with low self-esteem are three times likelier than those with high self-esteem to have done something sexual they didn't want to.

All told, just under a quarter of teens say they feel pressure to be sexually active, and few -- single digits -- say they feel "a lot" of such pressure. Pressure to be sexually active rises with age, from 19 percent among 13- to 14-year-olds to 27 percent among those 15-17; it peaks at 37 percent among 17-year-old boys.

Far more teens feel pressure, and feel it more intensely, in other areas of their lives --