1 In 13 Teenage Girls Have Had Group Sex

Researchers Call It An "Important Public Health Topic That Has Received Very Little Attention To Date"

An alarmingly high percentage of teenage girls have had group sex. And for many it is non-consensual. That's according to a new study that found at least 1 in 13 teenage girls reported having sex with multiple people at the same time.

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Researchers at Boston University School of Public Health surveyed 328 girls, aged 14 to 20 years old, regarding their sexual experiences and partners. Of the girls who visited health clinics and participated in the survey, 7.3 percent said they had engaged in MPS, or multi-person sex.

Other results were even more disturbing: 45 percent in the MPS group said at least one of their male partners did not wear a condom, and more than a half said they were "pressured, threatened, coerced, or forced to participate in MPS at least once."

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The average age the girls reported first having group sex was 15.4, with 54 percent of them saying they were younger than 16 at the time they first had group sex.

"Group sex among youth is an important public health topic that has received very little attention to date," researcher Emily Rothman said in a release about the study. "It's time for parents, pediatricians, federal agencies, and community-based organizations to sit up, pay attention, and take notice: Group sex is happening, and we need to be prepared to address it."

One note about the seemingly high percentages: the girls surveyed had already gone to the clinics with sexual health problems. Still, such a high number of very young girls engaging in group sex is certainly distressing.

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