What Are Two Implications That This Earlier Sexual Maturation Has For Society?

The first implication this may cause to society is more teenage pregnancy as has been reported even just this week that teen birth rates are up for the first time in the last 15 years. When puberty hits early, girls and even boys are more to have sexual feelings and even moreso than those who are older may feel confused about those feelings and the effect they have on the opposite sex.  It has been argued that the emotional intelligence of teenagers doesn't really develop until at least the age of 15 (check studies on EQ) and when sexual urges and development begins long before then, it becomes a problem in terms of matching up the physical with the emotional.  In the long term, society will have to bear the implications of more people being on welfare in order to support their children that they had when they were very young and those people not being as productive in society as they otherwise could have been.

The other implication is that those who develop early may have behavioral problems that may cause them to have problems in school become depressed, aggressive, withdrawn, moody and develop a problem with drugs and alcohol.  When teenagers start have changes in their bodies that they are not ready to emotional handle, they may turn to alternative activities and this may hurt others physically as well as make society their caretakers as they face both legal and social problems in the future.  Again, this prevents them from truly being productive members of society.