Sex Addiction Among Teenagers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sex Addiction Among Teenagers - Essay Example indicated that they had been sexually abused, and 72% said that they were physically abused as children3. Families with fixed and repressed attitudes about sex, or families mired and/or dissociated are susceptible to producing sex addicts. Often these addictions have a component in general, in which the addict is satisfying the frustrated or repressed sexual desires of a sexual abuser (during early childhood), of a parent or of another ancestor. Signs of Sexual Addiction As with any addiction or compulsive behavior like alcoholism or drug addiction, there are warning signs for sex addiction too. The following includes many of the warning signs that are visible in teenagers dealing with sexual addiction4: Frequently telling sexual jokes or making sexual comments or innuendos Engaging in sexual activity-especially with several partners Spending considerable time in activities that could lead to sexual activity such as cruising for potential partners or spending hours online in chat rooms trying to hook up with others Visiting pornographic websites or looking at pornographic magazines, books, or videos Neglecting obligations such as work, school, or family in pursuit of sexual activity Continuing to engage in illicit sexual behavior despite the negative consequences related to such activities Escalating the scope or frequency of sexual activity to achieve a desired effect, such as more frequent visits to Web sites or sex with more partners Frequently isolating themselves from parents and friends and not informing others of their whereabouts Getting angry if someone shows concern or questions them about sex or their use of pornography Feeling irritable when unable to engage...According to the fact sheet, Marketing Sex to Children6, released by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood7, there is a massive bombardment of sexual content and messages upon children: Setting aside TV, movies, and music, which may be controlled to a large extent, one most important and probably the biggest source of sexual content, which lies uninhibited, is the Internet. It caters to teenagers' desires by providing endless information on sex as well as a constant supply of people willing to discuss sex. With their identities remaining unknown, teens find it safer to search for information on sex. Links to porn content comes to them automatically through porn spam on their e-mail inbox or by being compelled to click on a link to a porn site. These sites conjure up a highly twisted image of normal relationships before their immature minds. In fact, pornography is directly related to sexual abuse, rape, and sexual violence. Excessive exposure to "hard-core" pornography tends to desensitize teens to "soft" porn and taking recourse to highly compromising images of bondage, rape, sadomasochism, torture, group sex and violence. AGI, Teenage pregnancy: overall trends and state-by-state information, New York: AGI, 1999, Table 1; and Henshaw SK, U.S. Teenage pregnancy statistics with comparative statistics for women aged 20- 24, New York: AGI, 1999, p. 5.