If the American teenager has a secret life, it’s a secret to me…and I am an American teenager. For those of you that have seen the show, you likely know what I’m talking about: The Secret Life of the American Teenager, whose second season will end later this month on ABC Family.

For those of you who haven’t seen it, let me try to give you a bit of an overview: The show started by following the pregnancy of fifteen-year-old Amy Juergens. Amy’s baby’s father Ricky is dating Adrian, who slept with Ben, who is Amy’s ex-boyfriend. Ben’s father is dating Betty, who used to be a prostitute who was friends-without-benefits with Tom, Grace’s brother. Highly religious Grace believes that having sex with her longtime boyfriend, Jack (who also slept with Adrian, but is now dating Amy’s best friend), killed her father, as her father died in a plane crash on the same night Grace slept with her boyfriend.

And that’s just a taste. The drama gets even more intricate.

The real question, however, is this: Do adults really think this is how American teens live? While the show is the most hilarious hour of my week, I can’t help but wonder if this is how adults see us. And if this is how teens are represented, how can we ever expect to be taken seriously when it comes to making decisions about sex and our futures?

—Taylor McCabe, 17, Staff Writer

OK, let’s flash back to first grade: Thanksgiving comes around and you learn about the Pilgrims. As the years go on, you begin to understand the story better—the religious persecution, the first colonial towns, the Puritans. You look at these old Americans with a detached eye. After all, what’s past is past. Right?

Wrong.

Modern Americans are still very much a product of these Puritan ancestors. Just look at other, more liberal European countries to see the evidence. Sex tends to be a taboo for us—something to be whispered about behind closed doors. Europeans, on the other hand, fly giant condoms through the sky.

Yes, you read that right. In an attempt to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, the French have put a 120-foot, helium-filled condom on display in Paris. The giant condom, called Condomfière or Condom Pride, can carry three passengers and a pilot. It will be on display until it goes to the International AIDS conference in Vienna in June and then continues on a continental tour leading up to World AIDS Day on December 1, 2010.

Instead of hiding the potential consequences of sex or how to practice safer sex, which seems to be the American way, the French are flying it through their skies. Maybe their way is better or maybe not, but certainly a 120-foot condom floating above will be a sight to see.

—Taylor McCabe, 17, Staff Writer

The second my friends and I logged on and began to “play,” the shocking image of a very old man’s crotch filled our screen and evoked yelps from a few of the girls. We had just visited Chatroulette.com, a Web site that allows you to video chat with random strangers. This was our first time on the site, and this was certainly an interesting first impression.

Of course, crotch shots weren’t the only thing on there. Some of the strangers we saw were also wildly entertaining, doing crazy things, like salsa dancing and wiggling their feet. Meeting new people is such a fun part of life. It’s no wonder this site is so popular, but some people seem to take it too far.

Exposing your body to strangers gets you a lot of attention, but is it really the kind you want? Sure, compliments are nice and everyone likes to feel wanted, but that kind of attention is probably best reserved for people who actually care about you and, most importantly, appreciate you.

You never know who could be watching or what they might do, whether it’s a dangerous stranger or your own family member! Check out this Dutch commercial that shows a brother and sister who are unknowingly about to have cybersex—and I am almost certain you don’t want that to happen to you!

—Melanie Johnson, 17, Staff Writer

I was talking with some of my friends about MTV’s Teen Mom a few weeks ago, and one of them said, “They’re all whores.” My friend wasn’t calling the guys who the girls had sex with whores, just the girls—not that anyone deserves to be called a whore. I was really surprised and upset that my friend said this.

Why is it that if you’re a teen mother you’re a whore? I don’t hear people calling 20-something-year-old mothers whores, even though they have unplanned pregnancies too. People—teens and adults—make mistakes and birth control fails. But that doesn’t mean you’re a whore, and it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. I don’t look at any of the girls on Teen Mom as whores or sluts. So, they have kids? So, they’re young? So, what?

Being a parent is the most difficult job in the world, especially when you’re young and not ready to take care of a baby. Why say hurtful things about young mothers who are in a really difficult situation?

People may use words like “whore” because they are insecure and want to feel better about themselves by putting someone else—a girl or woman—down. It would make a big difference if people spent half the time they spend talking bad about other people doing something good, like making sure teens get the information they need to help prevent unplanned pregnancies.

—Kait Hamilton, 17, Staff Writer

Condoms, when used correctly, help prevent unplanned pregnancies, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Condoms can be an important part of practicing safer sex, and here at Sex, Etc. we encourage you to make condoms fun. Sex, Etc. is not the only place promoting condom use; in fact, a whole city is promoting it! New York City’s Health Department gives away more than 40 million free condoms a year. Those free condoms have a package specifically designed for New York City, a black wrapper based on the city’s subway motif.