Third of young Britons ‘have had underage sex’

Almost a third of young people have had sex before the age of consent, according to new research.

A survey of nearly 20,000 young people also found that 41 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds did not always use a condom with a new partner, while a quarter of respondents said that they had not used contraception when they first had sex.

The main reason for not using condoms was use of the pill, although many said that being too drunk was another reason. More than half of respondents claimed to have had a one-night stand, while 60 per cent of 22 to 24-year-olds had had more than five sexual partners, compared to 23 per cent of 16 to 18-year-olds.

The research was carried out as part of the government-backed BareAll06 campaign, which is trying to improve young people’s sexual health. As well as the lifestyle of young people, the survey also highlighted gaps in their education, as ten per cent were found to have received no sex education at school, with 79 per cent saying that they had only learnt the basics.

Health minister Lord Warner said: “We want to make sure we’re listening to what young people have to say, and today’s survey will help us give them the type of information they need when it comes to sex..

“To tackle the number of STIs, we have to get [young people] to use condoms. This is why our new sexual health campaign will be aimed at making condom use routine among young people,” he added.

Britain currently has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies and sexually-transmitted infections in Europe.

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