Awkward Sex Talks With Teens Pay Off

Talking about the birds and bees is one of the most awkward conversations a parent can have with their kid, but a recent study says those talks are likely to make an impression. It found that 45% of teenagers admitted they listened to their parents' advice about sex—compared with only 32% who said they trusted a friend, Time reports. An even smaller chunk, 15%, looked to celebrities for guidance. But many moms wrongly think they aren't sexual role models: 78% assumed their kids relied on the advice of friends.

“They talk to their teens and the teens turn them away, so they think there's no use,” says the study’s lead author. Better still, teens who accept their parent’s advice also are inclined to listen to it. Some 17% of boys and 22% of girls who said their parents were their sexual role models were sexually active, compared to 40% of boys and 39% of girls who didn't look to mom and dad for guidance. (More sex education stories.)