"It is not easy for an African parent to sit down and talk to their children about sex. The topic has been taboo for as far back as African tradition goes. But our teenagers today are going around getting wrong information from their peers and from magazines, and they end up infected with HIV/AIDS... I am an African man, but when it comes to my children's health, I put my traditional beliefs aside. I talk to my children about sex... A lot of teenagers fear talking to their parents about sex because they think that their parents will accuse them of sleeping around. Instead, they go to their friends... Teens make their own decisions, but parents can have a lot of influence. Parents have to do away with traditions and start to talk openly to their children about sex."

The mass media—especially television and radio—reach large numbers of young people around the world and have enormous influence. In a 23-country study among 12-year-old school children whose homes had electricity, over 90% watched an average of three hours of television per day (365). In virtually all developing countries most women ages 15 to 19 have regular access to television and radio (45). While young people obtain a great deal of information about reproductive health from entertainment programs in the mass media, many of these programs have the effect of promoting unsafe attitudes and behavior and portraying sex in ways that encourage risk-taking.