The percent of female high school students (grades 9-12) who reported being sexually active before or during 2023.
Source: CDC YRBS 2023
Teen sexual activity refers to the engagement of adolescents in intimate behaviors, including but not limited to sexual intercourse.
Within this brief, we primarily use data and corresponding definitions from the biannual Youth Risk Behavior Survey that is administered by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC defines current sexual activity as intercourse with at least one person during the 3 months before the survey.
Exploring romantic and sexual expression is a natural, important factor in adolescent development. The choices teens make regarding intimacy can shape their social relationships and influence exposure to physical outcomes of sexual intercourse like sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or pregnancy.
Trends in adolescent sexual activity can provide insight into the effectiveness of public health policies, reveal gaps in access to sex education or healthcare, and reflect evolving societal attitudes about sex and relationships. Understanding adolescent sexual behavior is essential to promoting safety and informed decision-making.
Over the past decade, the percentage of high school girls nationwide who reported being sexually active has steadily declined. Although Oklahoma has consistently reported rates above the national average during that time, the state mirrored the national downward trend until recently. Between 2021 and 2023, this pattern reversed both state- and nation-wide: Oklahoma saw a 6.6% increase in the general population of adolescents who reported being sexually active. Similarly, the share of high school students in Oklahoma that reported ever having had sexual intercourse increased by 10% among males and 3.4% among females.
Experts remain largely unable to identify what initiated the decrease in sexual activity among youth or caused the uptick in 2023. It is increasingly thought that the internet has played a role in determining sexual activity, along with driving many other adolescent socialization patterns. Adolescents are far more engaged in a virtual life than former generations – in 2024, nearly half of teens said they were online almost constantly, a 24% jump from a decade ago. This social shift has been linked to earlier, riskier sexual activities.
Sexual activity rates among young Oklahomans vary across demographic groups. In 2023, nearly half of all sexually active high school students were in 12th grade, and 60% of students reported their sexual partner/s were someone of the opposite sex. Differences in rates across various racial and ethnic groups were relatively small, reflecting national patterns: Asian high school students reported the lowest rates of sexual activity, while multiracial students reported higher rates.
Adolescents with physical or cognitive disabilities are frequently excluded from conversations about teen sexual behavior, despite accounting for more than 10% of youth 16-20 years old (and an even higher proportion of younger students) in Oklahoma. Teens with disabilities have been stigmatized as being uninterested in or incapable of sexual activity — an assumption that is both inaccurate and harmful. Research shows that disabled students are just as likely to be sexually active as their non-disabled peers, but are less likely to receive adequate sexual education and at a higher risk of sexual abuse/coercion. These figures highlight the need for inclusive conversations and curriculum around sex.
While delayed sexual activity is associated with positive public health outcomes like reduced teen pregnancy and STI rates, misinformation found online about sex could be harmful to teens if not countered by comprehensive sex education. Accurate information from a trusted adult equips young people with the confidence to engage in sexual activity safely and with realistic expectations when they eventually decide to do so.
Lower rates of sexual activity among youth don’t equate to diminished risk. Despite only representing a quarter of the population that’s sexually active, people aged 15-24 represent half of new STI infections in the United States (See STI Incidence in Adolescents), and Oklahoma continues to have one of the highest teen birth rates in the nation (See Teen Birth Rate). Minors can access STI screening and treatment in Oklahoma, as well as access certain contraceptives locally without a prescription or parental permission (see Teen Contraceptive Use). Expanding contraceptive access for minors, encouraging STI screenings, and implementing comprehensive sex education programs are key ways to ensure that young Oklahomans are equipped to make informed, responsible decisions about their sexual health.
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is released every two years by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is considered the gold standard for adolescent health data.
The most recent report was released in 2023, but some of that data was collected in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Per CDC’s acknowledgement, the impact of the pandemic on adolescent behavior and data collection likely impacted the statistics seen in this article. Social distancing, school closures, and decreased in-person socialization during the pandemic impacted sexual activity among adolescents. The degree of impact is still being studied.
As discussed, patterns of teen sexual activity in Oklahoma largely reflect national trends. However, one notable gap in the state’s data is the absence of information available by student race/ethnicity. According to the 2023 national YRBS, American Indian and Alaska Native high school students reported the highest rate of sexual activity (35%). Oklahoma’s 2023 dataset, however, did not include data for this group, creating a critical information gap. Addressing this in future data collection would provide a more complete and accurate picture of the state’s youth, especially considering that as of 2024, Native American students make up 15% of the state’s student population.
The percentage of high schoolers considered sexually active has steadily decreased over the past decade in both Oklahoma and nationwide. The number of U.S. high school students who reported being sexually active increased only by 0.2% nationally, but by 6.6% in Oklahoma from 2021 to 2023. However, the number of high school students who reported ever having sexual intercourse increased during that time frame (2% nationally). Therefore, we can assume that the number of students that were sexually active for the first time increased, but consistent sexual activity did not.
This issue brief was written by Metriarch staff as part of our Data Lookbook.
Suggested citation
Metriarch. “Adolescent Health,” Data Lookbook (2025). URL: metriarchok.org/teen-sexual-activity.
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