Teenagers from London, Sheffield, Newcastle and Birmingham talked to teenage Childrens Express reporters about growing up in a sex-obsessed world.
| Boys talk about how good it was. Girls normally talk about the emotional side. |
Robert, 14
Most of my mates at school havent had sex but some of them think theyre right smart because they have. It doesnt bother me, though, when they were talking about it, I thought I was sad because I hadnt. Then I realised most of my mates inside and outside school hadnt either.
I think I would be a lot happier if I had had sex, so then I could brag to those that havent.
Its important to have a girlfriend, mainly because your mates think you are sad if you dont and call you a virgin. You hear them talk about how good it is and you are pretty much educated about it by the time you are going to do it.
But when it comes to having sex, girls and boys should be responsible. If girls sleep around, they should be on the Pill or carry condoms, and the lads should do the same.
Louise, 15
Adults think its sensible if you havent had sex by 16 or 17, but young people think oh my God, you dont know what youre missing out on. The age of consent doesnt stop anyone from having sex, it just makes people want to do it more because you know youre not allowed to. Peer pressure also makes people have sex its embarrassing not to.
Kids our age are worried about pregnancy more than sexually-transmitted diseases. But when you go into a shop to buy contraception, the looks you get make you feel guilty. Once we bought some condoms for a laugh, they were all different colours. The women in the shop just looked at us as if to say what are you girls doing? This just leads girls to take a chance.
Most girls have sex with boys for the boy, not for themselves or because they enjoy it. Girls want different things from boys. They want a relationship, love and honesty.
Tony, 15
I think boys and girls want the first time to mean something and not just be nothing. But after that, all boys seem to want is good sex. They talk about how good it was. Girls normally talk about the emotional side.
My parents have brought loads of contraception home for me. My mum said that she doesnt want me to have underage sex, but if I do then I should at least do it safely. I learnt quite a lot from home about it and a bit from school. My parents started explaining it all to me when I was eight.
There is pressure on boys to grow up quickly, especially on the sex side. Some boys want it because it makes them a man. Some girls, too, think it makes them grown-up.
Most of my friends parents are closed about talking about sex and they usually wait for their children to come and ask.
Christine, 13
Many children under 16 are having sex. You see girls with make-up on, trying to impress all the boys, and you know for a fact that they have done it.
Boys and girls both get pressure. If one boy whispers in class to another boy that hes done it with this lass, the other boy will feel how come I havent experienced this? Is it because Im stupid or ugly or because girls dont like me?
I get pressure from boys. They come up to me and ask me to do things. I just say no, but they just say why, havent you done it before? I tell them that I already have a boyfriend. But I wouldnt do it anyway.
If you are having sex, I think that boys should carry condoms and girls should be on the Pill. Girls need to protect themselves because you never know what can happen. Boys havent got to worry about getting pregnant, but they do have to worry about Aids.
About this article
This article was produced by Children's Express as part of its work on the Channel 4 series 'Sex from 8 to 18'. It was published in the Sunday Express.
