Sexual and Reproductive Health Information for Teens, 6th Ed.

As they mature and prepare for adulthood, teens face many academic and social challenges. They are dealing with physically developing bodies, emotional and social issues, sexuality awareness and pressure from peers, and the world of persuasive and potentially dangerous social media messaging. Irrespective of whether and when teens choose to enter sexual relationships, they need accurate information about how their choices can affect their health and well-being. Nearly 171,674 babies were born to teen girls aged 15–19 years in 2019. The U.S. teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations, and racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in teen birth rates persist. Additionally, young people (aged 13–24) accounted for an estimated 21 percent of all new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses in the United States in 2018. Nearly half of the 20 million new STDs reported each year were among young people, between the ages of 15 and 24.