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Results of an American study on masturbation in adolescents have been published
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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The results of an American study on masturbation in adolescents have been published on the website of the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Time magazine reports. The lead author of the study, Dr. Cynthia Robbins from the Department of Pediatrics at Indiana University, draws attention to the importance of timely and reliable information to young people about this "fundamental component" of adolescent sexuality.
The study was based on data from a 2009 survey in which 800 teenagers aged 14-17 (and their parents, Time reports) answered questions about how often they masturbate, whether they do it alone or with a partner, and whether they use condoms.
It turns out that teenage boys in the US start masturbating earlier and do it more often than girls: half of the male respondents resort to manipulation twice a week (among girls, only 23%). In principle, three-quarters of boys and less than half of girls do not shy away from this activity (this gap may not reflect reality, the author of the article notes). With age, the percentage of "soloists" increases - up to 80% among men and up to 58% among women.
It also turned out that people who practice masturbation are more likely to have sex with a partner, the male part of this sample is more likely to use protection, and girls also have an increased likelihood of anal intercourse and mutual masturbation.
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