FINAL TSTO Lesa Dec 14.pdf - Flipbook - Page 33
Some facts
By the end of high school, 50% of boys and girls have had
sexual intercourse, and the average age of first sexual
intercourse is 16.2
The majority of young people in Years 10 and 12 are sexually
active in some way and this proportion has increased over the
last decade.2
The types of sexual activity among Year 10 and 12 students
include deep kissing (80%); genital touching or being touched
(67%); and giving or receiving oral sex (46%).2
Approximately 7 to 11% of school aged young people in
Australia identify as same sex attracted or gender diverse.2
Of teens who are sexually active, a third had their first
experience at age 14 or younger, yet almost one in ten say
they have not been taught sex education at school.7
Young people often delay seeking prescription contraception
for a year after initiating sexual activity. Most unwanted
pregnancies occur in this period. See page 62 for referral
information.
What parents can do
Sexuality is only one part of the whole person. Help young
people keep it in balance by taking an interest in their sports,
schooling, relationships, TV shows, computer games, as well
as their growing interest in looking good and going out.
Remind them that if a friend ‘comes out’ as samesex attracted, that’s OK. It doesn’t mean that they
want your child to be same-sex attracted too. It also
doesn’t mean that they are automatically attracted to
everyone of the same gender.
Staying connected to and feeling loved by their
family remains extremely important to teenagers.
Having a sense of a future, with goals and a life to
look forward to, makes looking after themselves
worthwhile.
Parents can help by reducing the chances of young
people getting into situations they can’t handle —
like parties with an excess of alcohol or other drugs.
See page 62 for referrals.
Having a sense of
a future, with
goals and a life
to look forward
to, makes looking
after themselves
worthwhile
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