Teen sex and good grades: What's the connection?

Having sex may not be bad for your children's education. Those are the findings of a new study from the University of California, Davis, comparing sexually active teenagers to their more virginal peers. The researchers concluded that teens in "committed relationships" tend to do no better or worse in school than those who are not sexually active. Teenagers who practice casual sex, however, have markedly lower grades. What does this tell us about teenage sex?

We should rethink how we teach sex ed: This news ought to make "worried parents... breathe a little easier," says Megan Friedman at Time. The study overturns "conventional notions" that teen sex detracts from schoolwork. Hopefully, this study will "cast new light on sex education in schools" by focusing attention on the positive influence of a committed relationship — and the high costs of casual sex.

"Study: teen sex won't always hurt grades"

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Don't listen to these godless academics: To listen to the authors of this study, says Andrew Zarowny at Right Pundits, you'd think sex was perfectly fine for teens. But the numbers don't lie. Overall, "the active teen sex group cared less about school and had more school-related problems." And still, we're being told "all teen sex is not bad." Will these "egg head experts in sociology" stop at nothing to destroy the "moral fabric of the country"?

"New study: Teen sex not always bad for school performance"

Grades should be the least of our worries: These authors should look beyond GPAs, says Candice Lucey at Huliq. STDs and unwanted pregnancies are as big an issue for teens in committed relationships as they are for other teenagers. And besides, "cheating, having sex with an older partner, or just a past life of casual encounters puts even the committed at risk." We shouldn't change the focus of education just yet. "Teens have much more to lose than a place at university."

"Teen sex: not always bad"