Monday, January 7th, 2013
A growing genre of books being called “new adult” has bookstores wondering whether the steamy stories belong on “adult” or “young adult” shelves. MSNBC.com reports:
The book industry is in a post-“Fifty Shades of Grey” state of mind, and some publishers and authors say they won’t be shy about including steamier bits for older teens in a budding genre labeled “new adult” fiction.
The category contains stories for the reader who might be too old for “Twilight” but not quite ready for “Fifty Shades.” A typical “new adult” heroine is an 18 to 24-year-old coming to terms with the trials and tribulations of young adult life away from the security of home. Several of these stories have already found success as e-books or on sites like GoodReads.com, which has over 20,000 titles on its new adult “shelf.”
“It’s about that time in your life when you’re trying to assert your maturity and forcing yourself to grow up against the odds,” Cora Carmack, author of the new adult novel “Losing It,” told TODAY.com.
And then there’s the sex.
“Young adult has a certain perspective to it. If there is sex, it’s behind closed doors,” Pamela Spengler-Jaffee, a spokesperson for HarperCollins, told TODAY.com. “New adult is going to help teachers classify books that have that same heightened level of emotion, but with an open door policy.”
Image: Teenager reading, via Shutterstock
Tuesday, November 27th, 2012
The American Academy of Pediatrics is revising its policy on contraception, now recommending that pediatricians should discuss safe sex and contraceptive options including the “morning-after” pill Plan B with teenaged patients and their parents. Further, the AAP is recommending pediatricians prescribe a “just-in-case” Plan B prescription teens can carry in their wallets. More from CNN.com:
The United States has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy among developed countries. Nearly 80% of teen pregnancies are unplanned, a result of contraception failure or nonuse, according to the AAP.
The use of emergency contraception has been around since the 1970s, when doctors often advised patients to double up on their regular birth control pills in a method called “Yuzpe.” Since then several products have been approved for use by prescription and over-the-counter. Yet lead author Dr. Cora Beurner said there are still many people who don’t know about emergency contraception or have unfounded fears about using it.
Emergency contraception is designed to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. It works by inhibiting ovulation and disrupting the production of key cells needed in a woman’s body to conceive. It works best if taken up to 24 hours after intercourse, although it lowers pregnancy risk if taken within 120 hours (five days). It will not work if you are already pregnant.
Emergency contraception is available with a prescription for all patients and available over-the-counter for women over the age of 17. The pills cost around $80.
Image: Teenage girl with doctor, via Shutterstock
Thursday, November 1st, 2012
Teenagers who use smartphones are more likely to engage in sexual activities than their peers who do not have the devices, a new study presented to the American Public Health Association has found. The reason may be as simple as convenience; smartphones enable teens to more easily arrange sexual encounters. MSNBC.com has more:
Smartphones likely aren’t directly causing risky teen sex, said study researcher Eric Rice, of the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work in Los Angeles. Rather, smartphones may make it easier for teens to arrange sexual encounters, Rice said.
“It’s a tool through which this sort of behavior can happen,” Rice said.
While parents have come up with strategies to monitor the online behavior of their kids on computers, “I don’t know that we’ve thought through quite as clearly what it means for teens to have the Internet on their phones 24 hours a day,” Rice said.
Rice said sex education programs should start to include discussions regarding the risks of seeking sex online. In addition, parents should use this as an opportunity to begin a discussion with their teen about sexual health and use of technology, he said.
“I don’t want parents to freak out,” Rice said.
This new research follows a recent study that found that teens who “sext” or send sexually suggestive text messages, are 7 times more likely to be sexually active.
Image: Teen on smartphone, via Shutterstock
Thursday, October 25th, 2012
A group of high school students at Piedmont High School in northern California are under investigation after their principal discovered they had created a “Fantasy Slut League” in which girls are recruited and boys earn points for performing various sex acts with them. More from CNN.com:
Piedmont High School Principal Rich Kitchens said in a letter to parents last week that boys organized “a ‘Fantasy Slut League’ in which our female students (unbeknownst to most of them) are drafted as part of the league,” according to CNN affiliate KGO.
“Male students earn points for documented engagement in sexual activities with female students,” the principal wrote, according to KGO. “Participation often involved pressure/manipulation by older students that included alcohol to impair judgment/control and social demands to be popular.”
Kitchens, who said the school is investigating the accusations, couldn’t be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.
Piedmont Unified School District Superintendent Constance Hubbard’s office declined to release a copy of the principal’s letter.
But the superintendent is encouraging educators, parents and their teenagers to discuss how “to make good choices and to treat each other with respect and dignity,” she said in a statement Tuesday.
No criminal charges are currently being filed.
Image: Group of teenaged boys, via Shutterstock
