--- title: Birth Control: American Teens Are Not Using the Most Effective Forms description: A new CDC report reveals very few teens are using the most effective forms of birth control when they have safe sex, like IUDs and implants. canonical: https://time.com/3773686/best-birth-control-teens/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-07T17:00:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:01.931Z article:section: Health og:title: Teens Aren't Using the Most Effective Birth Control og:description: A new CDC report reveals very few teens are using the most effective forms of birth control when they have safe sex, like IUDs and implants. og:url: https://time.com/3773686/best-birth-control-teens/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfffc9dffd9430b02/69877df65f570f94ccb1521e/iud.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: IUD birthcontrol og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Teens Aren't Using the Most Effective Birth Control twitter:description: A new CDC report reveals very few teens are using the most effective forms of birth control when they have safe sex, like IUDs and implants. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfffc9dffd9430b02/69877df65f570f94ccb1521e/iud.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 03:38 video:published: 2014-11-10 section: ideas topics: sex education, childhood myths, family communication, religion and shame, pornography exposure, self-esteem, trust in relationships, cultural taboos genre: personal stories, documentary tones: candid, reflective, humorous, frank emotions: curiosity (high), embarrassment (medium), shame (medium), amusement (medium) sentiment: neutral audience: parents, young adults, educators, general readers people: Dr. Ruth products: Playboy channel content_suitability: sexual content [00:39-01:43]; sexual content [01:01-01:13]; health controversy [01:47-01:55] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Teens Aren't Using the Most Effective Birth Control > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=bb7ae9df-52ea-4e7e-89dd-704a6f43a14c&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: How I Learned About Sex [Watch (HLS stream): How I Learned About Sex](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5AudUKuq.m3u8) (3:38)  _Published 2014-11-10. Dr. Ruth and others share their stories_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Speakers recall how they first learned about sex, from childhood misconceptions and awkward family conversations to exposure through pornography and cable television. They describe how religious upbringing, cultural norms and family silence shaped feelings of curiosity and shame. The video closes with reflections on sexuality education, self-love, and the role of trust and vulnerability in intimacy. ## Key points - A speaker grew up in Germany believing storks delivered babies. (00:00) - A speaker's mother told her to wait until marriage when she asked about warm feelings toward a boy. (00:17) - A speaker accidentally saw sexual content on the Playboy channel after her family got cable TV. (01:01) - A speaker was told as a child that eating watermelon seeds and dirt could cause pregnancy. (01:46) - A speaker raised in a Pentecostal Christian family felt curious about sex but also dirty and wrong. (02:25) - One speaker argues that making a subject taboo makes people more curious about it. (02:52) - Speakers argue good sexuality education starting in childhood benefits a person for life. (02:08) - A speaker says trust is essential because sex makes people very vulnerable to one another. (03:25) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:57] Childhood Misconceptions About Babies. Speakers recall believing myths about storks and early parental responses to questions about attraction. - [00:57 to 01:43] Learning Through Pornography and Television. Speakers describe discovering sexual material through hidden magazines, cable channels and peers. - [01:43 to 02:25] Family Silence and Cultural Taboos. Speakers talk about unclear explanations from parents, cultural reticence and dangerous myths they believed. - [02:25 to 03:01] Religion, Shame and Self-Love. A speaker describes conflict between curiosity and shame, and the value of self-esteem and self-love taught at home. - [03:01 to 03:38] Trust, Love and Vulnerability in Sex. Speakers argue that sexuality should be discussed openly and that intimacy requires trust as well as love. ## Key quotes - [00:05] speaker: "I grew up in Germany, I believed that it's the stork who brings babies to this world." - [02:52] speaker: "I think that when you, when you make something so taboo to somebody, you make them even more curious about it." - [03:25] speaker: "In sex we're very vulnerable to one another." ## Questions this video answers - How do people commonly first learn about sex? [00:00] - What misconceptions about pregnancy and babies did some speakers grow up believing? [01:46] - How can religious upbringing affect feelings about sexuality? [02:25] - Why do speakers think sexuality education should start early? [02:08] - What role does trust play in sexual relationships according to the speakers? [03:14] ## Content suitability - sexual content [00:39-01:43]: Speakers discuss pornography and sexual material found by accident. - sexual content [01:01-01:13]: Reference to adult television channel content. - health controversy [01:47-01:55]: Recounts a false and potentially dangerous myth about pregnancy and eating dirt. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 7, 2015 5:00 PM UTC  Intrauterine device --- Image by © Timothy Hogan/Corbis Intrauterine device --- Image by © Timothy Hogan/Corbis Photo Illustration by Mia Tramz for TIME; Corbis by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 7, 2015 5:00 PM UTC American teenagers are getting better at practicing safe sex, but a new federal [report](http://www.cdc.gov/vitalSigns/) reveals very few teens are using the most effective forms of birth control. In the new report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at 2005–2013 data from the Title X National Family Planning Program on teen contraceptive use and found that teen use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)—such as the intrauterine device (IUD) and the implant—are up but still very low. The numbers show that U.S. teen LARC use increased from under 1% in 2005 to 7% in 2013\. Implants were used more than IUDs by women of all ages. The state with the highest use of LARC among its teens in 2013 was Colorado at 26%. All other states ranged from use of less than 1% to 20%. Currently, teens are opting for methods like condoms and birth control pills, which while still good options, are less effective and more prone to incorrect or inconsistent use. **MORE:** [Why The Most Effective Form of Birth Control is the One No One Uses](http://time.com/the-best-form-of-birth-control-is-the-one-no-one-is-using/) The benefit of contraceptives like the IUD and implant are that they are low maintenance and highly effective. For example, the typical use failure rate of the IUD is 0.2% and for the implant it’s 0.05%. By comparison, the birth control pill and vaginal ring have a failure rate of 9% and condoms have a fail rate of 18%. In 2012, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), considered an authority on reproductive health, [concluded ](https://www.acog.org/Resources%5FAnd%5FPublications/Committee%5FOpinions/Committee%5Fon%5FAdolescent%5FHealth%5FCare/Adolescents%5Fand%5FLong%5FActing%5FReversible%5FContraception)that IUDs and implants are safe and appropriate for adolescents and teens. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agreed and said it[ recommends LARC for adolescents](https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Updates-Recommendations-on-Teen-Pregnancy-Prevention.aspx). “Long-acting reversible contraception is safe for teens, easy to use, and very effective,” said CDC principal deputy director Ileana Arias in a statement. “We need to remove barriers and increase awareness, access, and availability of long-acting reversible contraception such as IUDs and implants.”  CDC According to the new CDC report, there are a variety of reasons why a young person may not opt for the IUD or implant. Many teens don’t know very much about them and they often think they are too young to use them. As [TIME reported in June](http://time.com/the-best-form-of-birth-control-is-the-one-no-one-is-using/), some physicians may remember the IUDs of past, which caused severe problems for women and were discontinued. Modern-day IUDs are safe and appropriate but there are still misperceptions about the device that persist within the medical community. Many providers are also not properly trained on insertion or removal of the IUD and implant. However, a [recent report](http://www.contraceptionjournal.org/article/S0010-7824%2815%2900072-4/abstract) showed that among female health care providers 42% use LARC, which is much higher than both the general population of teens and adult women. Overall, the CDC report shows that American teens are waiting to have sex, and when they are sexually active, nearly 90% report using birth control. The teen pregnancy rate in the United States appears to be steadily dropping, though in 2013 over 273,000 babies were born to girls between ages 15 and 19\. The CDC says encouraging young women to consider LARC is an important strategy for further reducing teen pregnancy. ## Transcript [00:00] Where [00:05] I grew up in Germany, I believed that it's [00:10] the stork who brings babies to this world. Mother, is it [00:17] wrong to feel [ MUSIC ] Warm and affectionate [00:21] when you, when you're with a boy you really like? No [00:25] dear, it is not wrong. My mom had no problem talking [00:28] about it. She just said, wait 'til you get married. Maybe, [00:30] like, when I was in first grade. Around fifth [00:34] grade. I was about seventh grade. I do remember my [00:37] mother and grandmother wanted to tell me about the [00:40] facts of life. I was playing hide and go seek with my [00:43] friends. Someone got rid of all their, their whole stash [00:47] of pornos. Like, [ LAUGH ] [ UNKNOWN ]. I pick it up [00:49] and I'm just like, this is the greatest thing I ever seen. I [00:53] didn't know that I would talk about sex for my entire [00:57] professional life. And now I'm 86, and I'm still talking [01:01] about relationships and sex .>> I remember [01:04] accidentally coming across what sex was really like on [01:07] the Playboy channel when we finally got cable TV [01:13] [ LAUGH ] [ MUSIC ] Sexuality education has to start at [01:16] a very early age. Your belly button, it's too [01:20] small. Mary, the baby doesn't come out of your navel. [01:24] Let me tell you how it is. The first time I had a talk talk [01:27] was in seventh grade health class. My father was so [01:30] old- fashioned that. It was just I got sort of Andy back [01:33] before. He would be like go talk to your brother, and [01:36] he'd go, go talk to Mom. Asians don't really get that [01:39] talk. It's just the, the conversations aren't there. You [01:43] know, like the story of the birds and the bees I don't [01:44] know that story. I don't know, I still don't know what [01:46] that is. [ LAUGH ] They told me you could get pregnant [01:50] by eating watermelon seeds and drinking water and [01:52] eating dirt. Which I did [ LAUGH ] throwing up, I was [01:55] throwing up mud when my mom got home. When the [01:58] sperm and the egg get together they make a tiny [02:01] person. So tiny that not even the mother knows it's [02:03] there for the first few weeks. When I was a child I just [02:06] thought, oh it's bad. It's bad unless you get married. [02:08] And now that I'm adult I understand there's nothing [02:10] wrong with that. Good sexuality education. That starts [02:14] when a child is growing up is going to be beneficial [02:19] for that child for the rest of his or her life. Coming [02:25] from a Pentecostal Christian family, I was definitely. [02:28] Not only challenging to be trying to find myself, around [02:32] my sexuality and my gender identity. But I just [02:34] remember always feeling this conflict of being very [02:37] curious about it but then feeling very very dirty and [02:41] just wrong at the same time. mom, you know, taught [02:44] us a lot about self esteem and self love and it comes [02:46] here first inside. Not to run off and find it in someone [02:49] else. I think that when you, when you make something [02:52] so taboo to somebody, you make them even more [02:54] curious about it. I've realized that this really, ultimately, [02:58] is about companionship and love and togetherness. I [03:01] think if they say, okay, it's okay for us to talk about [03:04] sex, I think they'll think, oh, more people are gonna [03:06] have it. It's okay to be a sexual being. I don't think [03:10] we talk enough about trust and sex. We talk a lot [03:14] about love and sex and of course we want to say oh I [03:16] love you, I love you and that's all that matters. But no, [03:18] we also have to trust one another. And if you don't [03:21] trust somebody then don't make yourself that [03:25] vulnerable, which we do. In sex we're very vulnerable [03:28] to one another. 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