ABSTRACT
The broader social context in which they live their lives plays a significant role in teenagers’ sexual beliefs and behaviour. The nature of that context, and consequently its impact, ranges from the overt and overwhelming world of the adolescent subculture, a world in which teenagers are bombarded by media messages about current (and ephemeral) mores, to the less obvious influence of societal institutions such as school, religion and the law. We address these different contexts in turn, ending with a section exploring an increasingly pervasive global youth culture.
