Sex and teenage

Adolescent sexuality is a stage of human development in which adolescents experience and explore sexual feelings. Interest in sexuality intensifies during the onset of puberty , and sexuality is often a vital aspect of teenagers' lives. Sexual interest among adolescents, as among adults, can vary greatly, and is influenced by cultural norms and mores , sex education , as well as comprehensive sexuality education provided, sexual orientation , and social controls such as age-of-consent laws. Sexual activity in general is associated with various risks. Contraceptives specifically reduce the chance of pregnancy. The risks are higher for young adolescents because their brains are not neurally mature.

Young people are learning about sex and relationships, not only from you, their parents, but from TV and films, online, and their friends. They need and want their family to help them to sort out fact from fiction, to understand what is happening to their bodies as they grow older and to talk about their feelings and their relationships. Remember that the earlier you start talking, the easier it will be to tackle some of the more difficult subjects as they grow up. It made a big difference to the way we felt about ourselves and others. Being a parent of teenagers can be tough.

You can help your child by modelling and reinforcing values and beliefs about safety, responsibility, honest communication and respect in relationships by treating your partner with respect and talking about how to stay safe. Most teenagers will experiment with sexual behaviour at some stage — this is a normal, natural and powerful urge in these years. But not all teenage relationships include sex. Teenagers are also maturing emotionally and socially.

Adolescence is the evolutionary process of human development which commences biologically with changes at the physiology of the pubis and completes psychologically with the ultimate organization of sexuality. All adolescents want to know more about issues such as copulation, onanism, conception, pregnancy, birth control and sexually transmitted diseases. Also, they wish to know how to place sex within their own frame of values so that they can be able to establish satisfactory and constructive relationships. Most young people however, have very little information and help on these issues.