Are kids too sexy these days?

Between Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend” video and the past two Cosmopolitan covers (Selena Gomez and Dakota Fanning, respectively), it seems the teens of Hollywood have been getting a little risqué lately.

One could argue teenagers have always been like this. As soon as puberty hits, it seems every 14-year-old is eager to get their sexy on. Part of the appeal is purely hormonal, and part of it comes from the fact that sexuality has always been relatively taboo for minors.

Perhaps we’re being too sensitive. After all, when we were young, Britney Spears was doing hip thrusts in a red latex bodysuit, and the media eagerly dissected the (figurative) sex lives of Ms. Spears and her then-beau, Justin Timberlake. Destiny’s Child did lots of sexual crawls on the ground in a few of its videos, if we remember correctly. Sexy teen stars aren’t new.

However, the recent sexualization of America’s teen stars seems more blatant than it’s ever been before.

Fanning, who wasn’t even 18 at the time of her Cosmo debut, was featured on a cover that touted “His best sex ever!” and “Too naughty to say here (but you have to try this sex trick).”

Just to reiterate, Fanning wasn’t even legal when the cover was published.

Gomez’s cleavage-heavy cover was accompanied by “50 sex tips” in bold, as well as “Your Orgasm Guaranteed.” Although Gomez is 18, her career has been built on her squeaky-clean Disney image. She became famous by being the star of a show that caters to the 10 to 14 (or “tween”) age group. These tweens are still the ones who follow her.

Perhaps those who were 15 at the onset of Gomez’s fame have aged enough now to be comfortable seeing their idol portrayed in such a sexual manner.

However, the majority of Gomez’s fans are still very young. If you walk into any Target or Wal-Mart, you can see her face plastered on children’s clothing and toys. Yet, this is the same young woman being used to sell “Your Orgasm Guaranteed.”

The teaser for Beiber’s new video shows him seductively talking to the camera while countless female hands caress him from the darkness. Although it isn’t as overtly sexual as a magazine cover, it still sends the same message. He’s 18 now, so he’s allowed to be naughty.

Perhaps Beiber, Gomez and Fanning are allowed to be a little naughty. After all, they’re all 18, so they can technically be as sexual as their little hearts desire.

So should we just let them grow up?

By the time many of us were 18, we were having sex and often doing illegal things. Is it unrealistic of us to expect young Hollywood stars to be celibate angels?

We think not.

Especially in the cases of Gomez and Bieber, purity and innocence (even as it veils the sexual curiosity of the tweens) have been the pillars of their careers.

Parents and children alike are OK with these artists because, sexy as their dancing and singing and acting might seem, they never overtly address it.

If you gain almost the entirety of your fame by being compelling but essentially nonthreatening, you can’t expect to immediately become a Hollywood sexpot or dreamboat once you hit legal age.

If your fame is built upon the fascination of small children and tweens, it’s irresponsible and unrealistic to blatantly sexualize yourself.

Gomez and Bieber might soon discover this if they continue on their paths of public sexual discovery. Parents aren’t going to support it, and it’s mostly their money that’s pouring into the pop stars’ pockets.

When it comes down to it, sexuality isn’t a bad thing. It’s natural, and our western culture has an admittedly strange love-hate relationship with it. Combine this with our obsession with youth, and some pretty questionable stuff arises.

However, when you’re a celebrity, you’ve given up your right to privacy and, frankly, to your own life. You are essentially public property. When the likes and dislikes of your fans dictate who you are, sometimes it’s difficult to let your true urges come out, so to speak. You can’t say you’re a role model and then not act like one.

We hope Gomez and Bieber realize this before they get caught in a sex scandal. At this point, it seems bound to happen sooner or later.