How do you reduce teen pregnancy, AIDS, etc.,? Added) As a society?

Education. Teach them how to have safer sex, and you’ll reduce unsafe behaviors. I know plenty of people who were having sex from high school onward and to this day haven’t gotten pregnant or contracted any STDs. This answer is very simple to see—unless politics is clouding your vision.

Use condoms, birth control, anything that you can find out there to use against teenage pregnancy.
Don’t kiss someone who has cracks on his lips. Or have oral sex with someone who has symptoms of herpes and stuff like that. Basically what I am trying to say is that TRY TO AVOID EXCHANGING BLOOD WITH ANYONE EVEN IF ITS YOUR SOULMATE. You never know if they caught something from their past.

Sex Ed.

Everyone
Thank you, I just edited it.

The way you reduce teen pregnancies is when a teen girl who is not married get pregnant she loses the chance to drive or her license until she is 31yr of age on top of being fined $10,000 for the 1st child, $25,000 for the second child, and $40,000 for each child after that. Who ever she names as the father and if the DNA matches, he has to pay support already but he loses the chance to drive until he is 25 (he has to be able to get out after that to earn the support he has to pay) If he has a second child even by different mothers he has to pay $15,000 per child on top of the child support. These cost will be liens against any future earnings they have or lotto winnings. You will have some chuckle heads who will ignore it or figure they are smart enough to beat it but after a couple of hundred end up on the bus because they can’t get a license the rest of them will start taking it seriously.

I see two edits. The first is that you changed “one way may be by insisting on abstinence” to “one way may be by not insisting on abstinence.” This, I think, is very wise. Insisting on abstinence has been historically ineffective and connected to teenagers actually being less safe. This is because abstinence is often insisted upon at the expense of all other relevant topics, which may be responsible for the fact that people who make virginity pledges are more likely to have unsafe sex than those who do not.

The second edit asks what we could do as a society (as opposed to as individuals). Now, the “solution” offered by @Hypocrisy_Central very well might work—just as giving the death penalty for jaywalking would likely reduce that activity—but I suspect most people would find such measures disproportional to the problem they are trying to solve. As such, I will stick with my first answer.

Education, after all, is not solely in the domain of parents or other individuals. Indeed, few individuals have the up-to-date technical information that professional teachers have (or at least should have—if your local school district does not require continuous professional development for its teachers, you should be complaining to the superintendent and/or board of education). If we as a society supported comprehensive sexual education, unsafe sexual behaviors would decrease.

Furthermore, a few generations of improved sexual education might also bring about a change in another major contributing factor to teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases: the immature prudishness found in the adult population regarding sexual intercourse. If we as a society were more mature about sex, we would be better at raising children who will make mature decisions about sex when the time comes.

Being honest, informing teens, and not expecting them to not have sex. That’s never going to happen.

Proper education. None of this, “There are STDs and pregnancy risks, but abstain forever.” Kids that practice abstinence are actually more likely to get pregnant their first time having sex because they feel that condoms take away from the special moment.

The problem is that there are things out there that can be passed on sexually that some doctors can’t even agree on. Lyme disease is one thing that has a great chance to be spread through sexual contact. Since Lyme disease is a disease that many doctors still argue about, some go as far as saying it doesn’t exist, they won’t acknowledge the chances of contraction through unprotected sex. There is proof that a mother can pass it to her fetus, so there is a good chance it can be passed sexually as well.

People have to realize that kids are going to explore their bodies. Maybe masturbation should be less taboo with girls as well. Maybe this will help girls be comfortable enough with themselves that they won’t easily look for male attention. Masturbation can boost a person’s self esteem. If the shame is removed there is an alternative to sexual exploration.

I also believe that glamorizing teen pregnancy by having tv shows on it should be stopped. I understand that MTV probably wanted to bring awareness to the issue, but instead made it seem like it’s a breeze and a lot of girls wanted to be on tv and started to become pregnant for a chance at it. Now all these kids are being brought into this world to families that might not have even wanted them in the first place.

Chastity belts. If that doesn’t work. Dungeons.

Otherwise—what they said—above.

Scare sexually active teens with the curse of eternal damnation in hell! LOL.

Seriously, the first four answers said it all for me.

Demand identification of the father who will then be responsible for shared expenses. If the father is not known or is unidentified, all government subsidies are reduced to 50% of current rates with the first month assistance paying for mandatory DNA testing of the mother and child. Subsidies and assistance funds may be recovered from the father until the child reaches the age of 18.

Frankly, I don’t care if an unmarried teen wants a kid or not. Just don’t expect me to pay for it.

Thanks all.

-No insistance on abstinence
-Sex Ed.
-Inexistence of 16 and Pregnant ( It is insane how they make it look not that bad at all, as if they are saying “with all the support you still have from everyone around….”)

What else, are there other shows and products that almost endorse engaging in sex early? I know MTV comes to most people’s minds, but other shows on TV, etc. and just products out there? One example:
Here.

@worriedguy even if you don’t pay for it upfront though later on, indirectly…

I agree with @SavoirFaire. Comprehensive sex ed for all, and access to condoms and birth control.

@Hypocrisy_Central There is one problem with that solution. If the parents can’t drive until well into adulthood, and they live in towns that don’t have good public transportation, they won’t be able to get jobs to support their offspring.

@flo As the US society goes you can’t have it both ways though they try, and try. You either keep kids as kids in spite the biological clock or you go with biology and acquiesce that they are young adults and allow them to start being that. If so worried about sex and making them smarter about doing so then do as tribal societies have and the elder members taught the younger ones how and what they should do to be an adult in that society. Guess we in the West just don’t get that.

@lonelydragon If the parents can’t drive until well into adulthood, and they live in towns that don’t have good public transportation, they won’t be able to get jobs to support their offspring. Oh well…… If a guy is caught drunk, under the influence, no insurance, or no license and his car gets towed and he has no way to work the next morning he was warned of what could happen. If he thought he could get away with it and lost the gambit he ends up on the bus, foot or riding with friends. He isn’t given a pass because he has a baby at home and need a way to work to pay the light bill and the rent.

That one gal walking the sole out of her shoes might send a message to 3 dozen other one to avoid the same fate.

It seems like there are three (possibly four) steps involved in the general sex education. It also needs to be ongoing and not just a one-time event. I doubt that there is any teen that received all of life’s answers about sex at 13, much less in one sitting.

Step 1: A basic clinical education, in addition to the risks, conducted by a professional. Considering that this typically is facilitated by an adult in a classroom setting, it is usually a one-sided conversation.

Step 2: Round up a team of teens who have experienced pregnancy from both the male and female perspective, as well as those that do or did experience STDs. If they share their stories and open it up to the group to ask questions, it can have a huge impact.

Step 3: There needs to be a venue for asking questions that will be held confidential. Just look at some of the questions that are being asked by teens, not to mention adults, on Fluther. It would be ideal if these teens felt comfortable going to a parent, guardian or school counselor with their questions, but let’s face it; they don’t in many cases.

There was a documentary called Dear Francis. It is about two Texas college students that travel to Swaziland to help battle and HIV/AIDs epidemic that could potentially wipe out their population. Part of the documentary includes clips from confidential letters that the children wrote to the fictional Dear Francis. <—While this clip shares some of the shocking topics that come up in far, far away Swaziland, they also exist here in the good ol’ US of A.

The Optional Step should precede Step 1. It would be a class offered to parents on when and how to address sex education with their children. It needs to include how to look for signs and keep the line of communication open. And I’d really like to see it include some of the confidential questions that come up from Step 3 above. As an adult, it is often easy to forget what questions we had as children. And not every person has had the same questions.

@Hypocrisy_Central I don’t know what you are saying about those dolls that look like they say kids are okay to have sex with, and 16 and Pregnant etc.

@lonelydragon
@Pied Pfeffer
I was asking what else, other than teaching sex ed condoms birth control i.e. the techniques of not getting STD’s and pregnant.

@Pied_Pfeffer (this is the same thing if you read the above) I was asking what else, other than teaching sex ed condoms birth control i.e. the techniques of not getting STD’s and pregnant.

@flo Please listen to this link that was given above, if you didn’t already. These children are asking for answers to questions that go beyond STDs and getting pregnant. They need a safe venue for asking questions and getting them answered without judgement.

If that isn’t what you meant, then please pardon my lack understanding what you are asking for. I mean that sincerely.

@flo I don’t know what you are saying about those dolls that look like they say kids are okay to have sex with, and 16 and Pregnant etc. Because I really didn’t speak to the dolls so much as the culture. We as a culture want to keep kids as kids as long as possible but send mixed signals. I know the age range of Bratz but they appear to be of a younger range than Barbie is. Their edgy look and dress also send mixed messages as to what young women should look like. Barbie may have make up but it is more subtle not thick and Hollywoodish like Bratz. Do Bratz say to teens they should be pregnant and having sex or that they be mini women? I don’t know. I can’t say they do or don’t any more than child pageants were toddlers dress up in thousand dollar gowns and eye shadow and lipstick.

@Hypocrisy_Central But there’s a difference between those two punishments. In your drunk driving example, taking away the license is a sensible punishment because the crime was committed while driving. There’s a logical connection between the action and its consequence. But there’s no inherent connection between teen pregnancy and losing one’s license. The measure may be effective, but is disproportionate to the problem you’re trying to solve. If we assume that teen pregnancy is bad because teens aren’t emotionally and financially equipped to be good parents, then how is further reducing their ability to care for the children going to help the problem?

@Hypocrisy_Central ” I really didn’t speak to the dolls…” what I meant was does the fact that you didn’t mention them mean you think that they are not so bad? Because “Their edgy look and dress” the word “edgy” is used as a euphymism isn’t it? How about Pedophile friendly.
And I don’t mean all the parents who buy them for their children are pedophile friendly

“We as a culture want to keep kids as kids as long as possible but send mixed signals”-

and we have to stop sending the mixed signal right? ”

…any more than child pageants were toddlers dress up in thousand dollar gowns and eye shadow and lipstick.
Just because beauty pageants for toddlers exist it does’t mean this dolls are okay, they are just one more thing on the list, that slow down progress done through Sex-ed etc.

”You either keep kids as kids in spite the biological clock” (“biological clock” is about getting too old to conceive, I think)

How can anyone be against keeping kids as kids as long as possible?

@Pied_Pfeffer I am not saying there is not helpful very helpful stuff out there, at all. I’m saying what about all the stuff that is countering them? The items I mentioned just above. Think of taking one step forward and many steps backward.

@all
Please see the post just above.

@flo Thank you for the response. Just to clarify, the question is now regarding, Are there other shows and products that almost endorse engaging in sex early? I know MTV comes to most people’s minds, but other shows on TV, etc. and just products out there? If this is the case, then bear with us, as this is a 180 degree turn from the original question.

There seems to be several television shows, both on American and British television, that cater to this. No show names come to mind because I don’t watch them.

@Pied_Pfeffer thank you too. My OP is about a broader focus I think. 180 degree turn means the opposite of something right? Maybe “Other than not insisting on abstinence, teaching sex-ed etc., what else, ...”
“what else” could have been in the title. It ended up in my 2nd response.

Even if people without a TV may have a friend on a beauty pageants who goes ga ga over the nice sparkely clothes and beauty pageants. And a lot of kids know and talk about the details of Jersey Shore. And the kids whose parents don’t allow it end up knowing about it from school kids or friends and relatives who are clueless. It is not just about TV shows and restricting TV shows. People go to the stores looking for dolls. All the dolls are the same or same-ish.

@flo what I meant was does the fact that you didn’t mention them mean you think that they are not so bad? Because “Their edgy look and dress” the word “edgy” is used as a euphymism[sig] isn’t it? How about Pedophile friendly. I really can’t say if the dolls are bad or good because to many it is subjective. To say they are good or bad would be off how I perceive it, and the logic I came to derive at such a conclusion. Like army men and 1st shooter games for boys or pageants for girls it has the potential to do less than more but I guess a lot is about how the parents handle it. Left to their own devices I can see girls getting a less than accurate ideal of what it means to be cool or that to be ”in” you have to be sexy. A lot of things do that, sex and the use of it to sell just about everything goes beyond that. They use women in bikinis to sell you a burger. That message says if you don’t look as good as Ms Turkey in a bikini you better have a necklace of $100 bills or you won’t get noticed. From what private study I have done I don’t know if Bratz appeal more to those with Pedophilia than Barbie or child pageants –though I would logically say the pageants would have more appeal, it has live bodies.

”You either keep kids as kids in spite the biological clock” (“biological clock” is about getting too old to conceive, I think)
How can anyone be against keeping kids as kids as long as possible?

Every creature has a biological clock that starts the moment we are born. The stages we go through in life is all a part of that timing, infant, toddler, tween, teen, adult, and so forth. It is nice only to the mind of the parent to want their kids to stay their little kids for as long as possible, to have their kids need them. Nice as it is it is unfathomable. Biologically most kids become young adults between the ages of 13 to 15yr. They are able to have children of their own mind and thinking notwithstanding. It is that ability to reason or collected wisdom is where society gets hung up on. The body cares not that the brain makes mistakes it will do what it does same as a person doesn’t get younger because their brain starts to revert back to toast and they have to wear a diaper. You can nip/tuck to your hearts content but all that won’t make you younger no matter how much younger you look. Society needs to get it in their mind that teen are adults young adults but still adults and deal with preparing them to transition into adult life over their teen years not waiting until some magical arbitrary number then saying “OK you are now an adult”, because society now cares to recognize it.

Edited
@Hypocrisy_Central
Re. ”...to have their kids need them…”

Really? That can only be the reason? That is not just a small percentage of parents?
There was a pervert who had been heard saying (before he was found out convicted of having sex with a 14? year old) to make the parents be less watchfull/close:
“If you need a tracking device on your kids you haven’t done a good job as a parent”

Re.
”...and deal with preparing them to transition into adult life over their teen years not waiting until some magical arbitrary number then saying “OK you are now an adult”,...

No arguing with that ideal.

” ...A lot of things do that, sex and the use of it to sell just about everything goes beyond that. They use women in bikinis to sell you a burger.”

That is a fact, but what does it mean in relation to this OP though?

”...though I would logically say the pageants would have more appeal, it has live bodies.”

Of course kids pageants are more pedophile friendly. I don’t blame you for assuming I think the dolls are worse. But why would there be such a thing as Beauty Pagents period anyway, ? And esp. for kids??? Criminal. And esp. when being forced, crying Nooooo, *I don’t want to!!!?
Where Child Protection Services, Labor Laws, Jail time?

@Hypocrisy_Central
This is not my week. Let me correct myself:

I don’t blame you for thinking I think the dolls are worse, since I posted the link of the dolls and didn’t even mention the kids’ pageants.