Ramesh-24

The study found one in seven, 14-15 year-olds reported having a boyfriend or girlfriend with most saying they went out together to places like the movies,” she said.

“The majority of 14-15 year-olds said they were attracted to the opposite sex (93 per cent of boys and 85 per cent of girls), around 4 per cent said they were attracted to the same sex or to both boys and girls.

“By the age of 16-17, 67 per cent of boys and 62 per cent of girls reported having had at least one relationship. Among 16-17 year olds who reported being in a relationship the vast majority considered it a committed and exclusive relationship.

“While most teenagers reported not yet having had sex at the age of 16-17 years (68 per cent), 7 per cent of boys and 6 per cent of girls reported having sex for the first time at age 14 years or younger. There were no significant differences in the age that boys and girls had sex for the first time.

“Among teenagers who were sexually active, the majority were taking precautions, including using condoms to prevent pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections