Youth Expert: "Adolescents Sometimes Have Their First Experience in Enclosed Karaoke Rooms"

Survey data on the '2018 Adolescent Sexual Experience Rate' revealed on MBC's 'Gongbuda Meoni?' on the 10th / Photo by MBC 'Gongbuda Meoni?' broadcast screen capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] MBC's 'Do You Know Study?' revealed the '2018 Youth Sexual Experience Rate.' An expert stated, "Sexual activity is occurring mainly in karaoke rooms, which are common dating spots for kids."

On the 10th, 'Do You Know Study?' aired a scene featuring former basketball player Joo Hee-jung's family, where they shared concerns about their middle school daughters who have become aware of appearance and the opposite sex.

Joo Hee-jung said, "I am very worried" as his two middle school daughters showed great interest in social network service (SNS) dating and makeup.

He added, "I can't understand dating during school days. Nowadays, even elementary school students hold hands and start dating, which honestly worries me."

Photo by MBC, screenshot from the broadcast of 'Gongbuka Meoni?'

During the broadcast, Joo Hee-jung and his wife, along with experts, discussed youth dating.

Teacher Kwon Hee-rin said, "In middle and high schools, more than one-third of a class are dating. They exchange gifts, date for about 100 days, and communicate through KakaoTalk or Facebook messages, sometimes breaking up."

On this day, Joo Hee-jung's wife, Park Seo-in, expressed curiosity, saying, "I wonder how much skinship is allowed among teenagers. I have repeatedly witnessed natural skinship among students wearing school uniforms on the street."

In response, Teacher Kwon said, "The main dating spots for kids are karaoke rooms, cafes, and movie theaters. Karaoke rooms, being dark and enclosed spaces, make sexual activity quite possible."

According to the survey on the '2018 Youth Sexual Experience Rate' revealed that day, 5.7% of all students had sexual experience, and the average age of first sexual activity was 13.6 years old.

Child psychology expert Son Jeong-seon advised, "Many kids date through SNS. The biggest concern is that they form family relationships through SNS. Since there are many potential negative effects, rules should be set so that children must inform their mother or father beforehand when meeting someone."