Teen Masturbation

QUESTION: Is teen masturbation normal and acceptable?

ANSWER:

Consider this statement from an 18-year-old regarding teen masturbation:

"I always go in the living room as late as I can. I stall before returning to my room because I know what is going to happen. Before too long, I have the computer booted up. I tell myself that it'll only be for a minute while I check e-mail, but I know I'm lying. I know what I really want. I'm hoping to view a little sex scene or two as I flip around with the mouse. . .The RPMs are going so high that I have to do something, or it feels like my engine will blow. So I masturbate."¹

Teen masturbation is common in our world today. In earlier times, people got married at a much younger age. Today, we aren't expected to get married until we have finished school and have a stable job. This means we are asked to control our sexual desires for a much longer period of time. It seems as if teen marriages have been replaced with teen masturbation.

Does this make teen masturbation normal and acceptable? As a teen, I found it inconceivable that God designed and created sex. I have come to realize that this fact alone makes sex an amazing thing. A Picasso painting can be worth millions of dollars for the sole reason that Picasso is the author. However, when anything is that amazing it tends to have more control in our lives; and the potential for it being corrupted becomes equally amazing.

The difficulty facing society today is that we have become more enamored with the gift rather than the gift-giver. Sexual immorality is nothing more than abuse, to the gift and the gift-giver. Masturbation is sexual immorality with yourself and therefore it is a form of self-abuse. Masturbation is actually a synonym for self-abuse. This is something that many dictionaries and medical dictionaries will corroborate.

Unfortunately, teen masturbation and a culture of promiscuity have had a snowball effect on our society. The abuse is demeaning towards sex. As soon as sex isn't as enjoyable as it once was, we tend to crave more of it and sexual addiction becomes a reality. We easily become more accepting of masturbation, and then teen masturbation becomes even more common.

The Bible talks about this in Matthew 5:27-30: "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Teen masturbation is accepted as normal and acceptable, however, if God does not find sexual immorality acceptable, neither should we. We encourage teens to find help from a local Christian counselor or pastor.