Did you know? Teenagers are having less sex with fewer partners; also using drugs and drinking less

Sexual activity among high school students has decreased significantly over the last decade, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey daa summary and trends report shows that high school students who have had sex dropped 15% in the last decade, from 47% to 32%. Twenty-one percent claimed to be currently sexually active, a 13% drop from a decade ago.

The report also showed that the number of students who have had four or more lifetime sexual partners have dropped from 15% to 6% during the last 10 years.

Unfortunately, the number of students reported more incidents of sexual abuse. Thirteen percent of teenage high school students reported they've been forced to have sex, up 3% from 10 years ago, while the percentage of boys have remained steady at 4%. There was a 2% increase in the percentage of boys (6%) and girls (17%) who reported sexual violence by anyone.

The survey also showed that the percentage of high school students who have ever used illicit drugs dropped from 17% in 2013 to 10% in 2023. Of the race and ethnicity cohorts, black high school students reported the least illicit drug use. Multiracial teenagers reported the most at 14%, still down from 21% a decade earlier. Specifically, opioid drug use is decreasing.

Marijuana use is down from a decade ago as well, for girls and boys, though the percentage of users is up slightly from two years ago. Alcohol consumption has also dropped from 2013 by 11% among girls and 14% among boys.