from www.kansascity.com – Usually when young people say they aren’t going to let their parents prevent them from living their dreams, it’s because they want to take a shot at a risky or unconventional career — acting, singing or pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

Then we have Montana Fishburne, who says pornography is what she wants to do, and her father’s hurt feelings aren’t going to stop her.

The 19-year-old daughter of acclaimed actor Laurence Fishburne (yes, Morpheus) is releasing her first adult film this week. Why?

She says she likes sex, and porn allows her to explore it. And she also thinks it’s one step in what could be a long career.

She told CNN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell that she was inspired by Kim Kardashian and the success she has had since the “leak” of her sex tape, made with her ex-boyfriend.

She went on to say, “I look at pornography as art. I see beautiful people touch each other in sensual ways, you know, doing erotic things to each other.”

Some people are blaming Kardashian, though she is far from a porn star. Others say Montana Fishburne must have daddy issues, even though she keeps saying she loves her dad and doesn’t want to hurt him.

We don’t know her or her life story, but I worry that she symbolizes a ton of young girls who have become desensitized to sex.

Teens have sex. That’s not new. But I think there was a time when teens tried to wait to have sex with someone they thought they loved, as much as you can love at that young age.

Now, half-naked women are on daytime television. Teens kiss on Nickelodeon. There is sexual innuendo in commercials. Hyper-sexual video girls get modeling contracts.

Intimacy is becoming robotic. People send it in e-mails and text messages. Last year, an Associated Press/MTV survey found that 30 percent of 14- to 24-year-olds have been involved in sexting.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less than half of teens between the ages of 15 and 19 say they’ve had sex. But that’s still 43 percent of teen boys and 42 percent of teen girls who are not virgins.

I know most teens do the right thing. I believe they are bright and have a great future ahead.

But I worry about the lost ones, such as Montana Fishburne. Because we don’t know how many of them there are, sitting at home thinking Kim Kardashian enjoyed how the world saw a private moment with someone she loved.

Sure, she ended up with a great career, but she has said it was humiliating, and the infamy continues to follow her. I honestly don’t think that is how Kardashian wanted to start her path to stardom.

But it’s how pop culture, and those of us who buy into it, catapulted her to celebrity. What message have we sent to children?

I wonder how many of the teens having sex are in loving relationships. Do they practice safe sex? It’s a normal concern when you think about hormonal high-schoolers.

But I never thought I’d question if they were doing it for fame. How did we get here? There’s a glitch in the matrix.

Jeneé Osterheldt’s column runs in FYI on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. To reach her, call 816-234-4380 or send e-mail to [email protected].