Health officials point to a disturbing continuation of high teenage pregnancy rates, and ready access by children in Costa Rica to pornography, and are calling for stronger sexual education in the country’s schools.

On any given day, around 35 teenagers give birth to a child in Costa Rica, according to public health data.

And though the trend has seen some recent declines, the numbers are far too high. Behind each teenage pregnancy are a young woman’s lost or delayed opportunities for education, training, work and personal development.

The report says that the weekly 40-minute sexual education classes that public school students receive is woefully inadequate, given that children are being raised in an environment in which “parents prefer to not discuss the issue,” and that children have ready access to online graphic material through handheld devices, including pornography.

Recent research by the Adolescent Clinic at the National Children’s Hospital revealed alarming exposure to pornography by children starting as early as 6 years.

Fifty percent of children and teens interviewed said they have access to pornography, and 70 percent of them said they accessed pornography through a handheld device.

The clinic said, “early exposure to pornography distorts the construction of sexuality in adolescents, and in turn raises the risk for violent and dangerous sexual behavior.”

Clinic workers urged rapid changes in the educational system and in families to address this situation which places young people’s health at risk.