Parents are hopelessly behind when it comes to teaching their kids about sex and the media isn't helping, a researcher at Indiana University argued in a recently released study.

"There aren't any consequences to premature sexual activity in the media, so teens receive mixed messages," Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin said. "They need adults in their lives to help clear up those messages."

She argues that text messaging and the Web have altered the way teens deal with sex, and parents need to understand what their kids are discussing. We're so glad we're not from Indiana.