New Video to Help Parents Understand Today's Teenage Sexual Culture December 5, 2001 – If you think you’re ready to talk with your kids about sex – think again! Sex & Young America: The Real Deal, a new video and informational guide, is available to help parents understand today’s sexualized youth culture and develop skills to effectively talk about sex with their children. Produced by the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, Sex & Young America: The Real Deal features teens from across the country telling parents what they really need to know. "It is crucial for teens to be able to talk openly with their parents about the pressures they face every day," said Jack Samad, vice president of Internet safety and communications for the National Coalition and producer of Sex & Young America: The Real Deal. "They’re learning about sex from television and movies, instead of from their parents or other adults they look up to." Samad said that the teens from all over the country that were interviewed for Sex & Young America : The Real Deal agreed that the media had a substantial influence on their behavior. However, they expressed a desire to talk to their parents more, instead of learning about sex from their TVs, computers and stereos. "Many of them told us that their parents have no idea what’s really going on." said Samad. "Parents need to know that sex is happening," said one of the teens interviewed for the video. "It’s happening in high school. It’s happening in junior high." This early sexual activity causes a major public health problem among teenagers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year approximately 3 million teenagers contract a sexually transmitted disease and 1 million become pregnant. Samad hopes that Sex & Young America: The Real Deal will educate parents and help prevent teens from becoming one of these statistics. "We want to help them develop standards and skills to stand up to all the pressures they face and make decisions that they’re proud of." For more information or to order Sex & Young America: The Real Deal ($14.95 plus shipping and handling), visit www.sexandyoungamerica.com or call 513.521.6227. The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting children and families from the harms of pornography and the sexual messages of today’s culture. For more information, visit www.nationalcoalition.org.

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