Responding to behavior

If your teen is sexually active, it may be more important than ever to keep the conversation going. Even if you don't think your teen is ready, be open yet honest in your approach. Remind your teen that you expect sex and its responsibilities to be taken seriously.

• Stress the importance of safe sex.
• Contraception. Make sure your teen understands how to get and use contraception such as condoms and birth control.
• Promote exclusivity. An exclusive sexual relationship supports trust and respect while lowering the risk of STIs.
• Set reasonable boundaries. Enforce curfews and rules about visits with friends. This is especially important if you notice sexual attraction between your teen and certain friends.

Your teen's health care provider can help too. A routine checkup can give your teen the chance to talk about sexual health to only the provider in private. The provider can help your teen learn about contraception and safe sex. The provider can also help you build your skills to teach your teen about safe sex.

The provider may also stress the importance of routine human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. This vaccine protects people of all genders against genital warts and cancers of the cervix, anus, mouth and throat, and penis. People can usually get the vaccine between ages 9 and 26. But it is sometimes available for people older than age 26.