Richard T. Cooper

About the author: Richard T. Cooper is a staff reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

A government study found that for the first time since data has been collected, the percentage of teens who have had intercourse has declined. In 1970, the first year teen sex was surveyed, only 29 percent of teen girls aged fifteen to nineteen acknowledged having had sex. That figure increased to 55 percent in 1990, and dropped to 50 percent in 1997. The decline is similar for teen boys: 55 percent have had intercourse at least once in 1997, down from 60 percent in 1990. The survey also indicated more teens are using contraception. Some researchers attribute the changes to widespread sex education programs and more conservative attitudes among teens toward premarital sex.

For the first time in more than 20 years, there is evidence that the...