Having unprotected sex with multiple partners can increase a person’s risk of contracting sexually transmitted disease (STD). Due to the high prevalence of these infections among teens and young adults, researchers have been looking for answers to what kind of activities adolescences are engaging in that lead them to developing these conditions. Recently, researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health made an alarming discovery that sheds new light on the issue of teen sex. Scientists surveyed 328 young women between the ages of 14 and 20, and found that one in every 13 girls have had a group sex experience. Furthermore, these girls were more likely to have been exposed to pornography and childhood sexual abuse than other females. Researchers referred to these incidences as multi-partner sex (MPS), and 45 percent of respondents said that the men involved did not use a condom during these encounters.

Along with being more likely to have an STD, girls who participated in MPS were also found to report higher incidences of cigarette smoking and being the victims of dating violence. “[MPS] appeared to pose a potential risk to sexual and reproductive health, as only 55 percent of participants reported that condoms were used consistently during their most recent MPS,” said researchers. “The majority of MPS-experienced girls in this sample reported being pressured, threatened, coerced, or forced to participate in MPS at least once.”

More than half of the girls who reported participating in MPS were under the age of 16 when the act occurred, which means that their partners were violating Massachusetts state age of consent laws. Researchers added that these events seem to be connected to pornography, because the girls were being encouraged to perform acts that their partner had seen in a porn film. These findings suggests that parents and community leaders need to do more to ensure that young adults understand the consequences of sex.