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Contraception access

Whether and how your teen can get contraception: not provided, available if asked, arranged proactively, or managed confidentially by the teen.

Should we give our teen access to contraception?

In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: Not provided; Available if the teen asks; Proactively arranged; The teen manages it confidentially. Evidence: evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational. Best settled: teen.

Evidence
Evidence leans one way
Best settled
Teen
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Learning & the wider world

Contraception access: what are the options?

Parents usually land on one of these 4 approaches.

  1. 1. Not provided

    You do not provide contraception.

  2. 2. Available if the teen asks

    You help if the teen asks.

  3. 3. Proactively arranged

    You arrange a doctor's visit or supplies before the teen asks.

  4. 4. The teen manages it confidentially

    The teen sees a doctor privately and handles it themselves.

Contraception access: what does the evidence say?

Evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational.

AAP supports confidential access to the full range of methods

Sources

What else is worth knowing?

Teens who have sex need contraception to avoid pregnancy and infection. Parents choose whether to wait to be asked, arrange it in advance, or leave it to the teen and their doctor. Laws on confidential care for minors vary by state and province.

Questions to ask each other

  • What would we want our teen to do if they were thinking about sex?
  • How would we feel about them seeing a doctor on their own?
  • How would we make it clear that they can come to us?

More in The teen years

First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.