You can talk to your child about healthy sexual development no matter the age. Below we have links to articles about what you should cover in each age range. And remember, every time you have a little talk it makes it a little easier to have the next one. Skip to content.

Sexual feelings, attractions, fantasies and desires affect virtually all people from at least puberty onwards. The average age of puberty for girls in the UK is 12 to 13, 13 to 14 for boys. In common with other aspects of development, the age at which puberty occurs varies widely from person to person. It is normal for the onset of puberty in different individuals to start as young as 8 or to be delayed until 16 or The age at which people first begin to act on their sexual interests also varies widely and can be affected by a large range of factors including biological development, hormone levels, cultural factors, religious and moral views, upbringing, self-esteem, education and socio-economic status.

American culture is greatly influenced by conservative and religious views that construct adolescent sexuality as problematic. Consequently, American teenagers are often informed that abstinence is the right moral choice and will allow them to lead a successful adult life. The ultimate punishment for engaging in pre-marital sex is deemed to be teenage pregnancy. This is evident in the way that the adolescent mother is constructed as a deviant citizen who drains the government of welfare payments, rejects family values, and defies the rigid path to economic success advocated by capitalist ideology.

Credit: Pexels. Early, frank, and age-appropriate conversations about safe sex can result in fewer unintended pregnancies, research finds. These studies also suggest that regardless of race or gender, young people whose first sexual encounter occurs before age 13 are more likely to experience negative sexual and reproductive health behaviors, such as multiple sexual partners, sex under the influence of substance use, unintended or unwanted pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. But past studies, including this Guttmacher institute publication, have mostly looked at the socioeconomic contributors of early sexual experiences of girls, particularly from non-Black races and ethnicities.