Opinion: The Dangers of Promiscuity Among Teenagers

Adolescence is a vulnerable age, particularly when it comes to social life. Technological progress has also widened the scope of social interaction. Today, promiscuity is the main danger facing teenagers. Not only that, promiscuity also causes worry among parents. Unstable teenagers are indeed very easily “fooled” by their social circles.

As a teenager, have you ever thought that the social circle around you sometimes pushes you to follow it? What exactly is the influence of social life on teenagers? Why do we need to be wary of it?

We often hear the saying “adolescence is a grey, unstable, emotional and expressive time”, right? Well, adolescence is defined as the transition from childhood to adulthood. According to the WHO (the United Nations agency for world health), the age range of adolescence is 12 to 24 years. In particular, those in senior high school or equivalent are aged 15 to 17 years. Wow, so vulnerable!

Moreover, humans are social beings, which means that in their daily lives they need other people, and relationships between people are built through social interaction (interpersonal relationship). Social interaction is also one of the human rights (HAM) that must be kept free, so that no one may be restricted in their social life, let alone be discriminated against (unequal rights for people based on differences in religion, race, ethnicity, etc.). So, social interaction between people should be free, but still guided by human norms and must not lead to violations of the law and human rights.

On closer inspection, it turns out that promiscuity is also often connotated as something negative, such as drugs, casual sex, nightlife, and negative behaviour that violates norms and religion

Among teenagers now, promiscuity is increasing, especially in big cities. According to research conducted in the state of North Carolina, United States, there is a link between exposure to sex in the media and sexual behaviour among teenagers. These broadcasts are not only films shown on television! They can also come through magazines, music, and performances.

The results show that, in general, the group of teenagers who received the most sexual encouragement from the media tended to have sex at the vulnerable age of 14 to 17 years, which is truly shocking!

Even more distressing, according to the research results, teenagers have already received wrong information from the media and tend to engage in promiscuity because it is considered normal among their peers, compounded by a mistaken response to the saying “high school is the most enjoyable time and must be enjoyed.”

The factors that cause promiscuity are the weakening of relationships within the family, identity crisis, weak self-control, and the fact that many teenagers today follow the times. For example, if our circle of friends does something improper and we follow what they do, then teenagers must be good at choosing good friends and must have principles in living their lives.

The effects of promiscuity are casual sex, dependence on illegal drugs, declining health, rising crime, the spread of disease, and declining achievement.

Promiscuity can be overcome and prevented through solutions for handling and preventing it in several ways, namely improving one's outlook, being honest with oneself, maintaining a balanced lifestyle, engaging in many positive activities, and learning about socialising and promiscuity

Good social interaction is when we have good manners towards others, and it is better to socialise this way than through reckless behaviour or mere popularity. So, what we have to do is be ourselves. It is about how the people around us feel comfortable when communicating with us.

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