Children also are more likely than their parents to recall such talks as occasional rather than routine. Parents and schools did come out as top sources of information for children. Among preteens, the figures are 26 percent for media and 21 percent for friends. The survey of 823 children ages 8 to 15 and 1,249 parents of children between those ages had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent for the parents' sample and plus or minus 4 percent for the children's. The Kaiser foundation, unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente, is a philanthropy that studies health issues.
Children Now is a nonpartisan group focusing on solutions to problems faced by youngsters.
As part of their campaign with Nickelodeon to encourage parent-child communication, the groups are distributing a free guidebook and information on the Internet. Viacom Internet Services Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The topic that both older and younger children want to know more about, ahead of sex and drugs, is guns in school.