Parents and carers

Young People’s Rights and Sex and The Law

The age of consent in Scotland is 16 for girls and boys, whether straight, bi, gay or lesbian or trans.  This means that if they are both over 16 and want to any sexual contact then they will not be breaking the law.

Young people have the right to access sexual health services, including condoms and contraception, before the legal age of consent.  Under 16s have the same right to confidentiality as adults.  However, workers in all services have a duty to make sure that young people are safe and not in any kind of abusive situation.  If there is a child protection concern they have to report this.

A parents/carers role

A parents/carers role in educating children is a vital one. For many parents and carers these conversations may feel worrying or uncomfortable. Some concerns might include:

• “Getting it wrong”
• That having too much information might encourage young people to experiment
• Feeling like you don’t know enough about some topics
• Stories in the news that scare you or suggest our young people already know everything

Informed young people are more likely to delay first time sex and to use contraception when they do. It helps them to make healthy decisions about sex and relationships. Ultimately positive and appropriate communication around these topics helps our children to grow up safely.

Children and young people want to learn about more than the “facts of life.” They need guidance to manage feelings, develop assertiveness and negotiation skills and form their own values.

If you don’t talk to them someone else will. Being proactive with these conversations means you can choose some of the messages you want your children to hear.

Whether we like it or not children and teenagers receive messages about gender, sex and relationships on a daily basis. They are bombarded with images of sex and sexuality in films, magazines, adverts, television and the internet. Many of these can be confusing, contradictory and inaccurate. This can be tough for children to make sense of.

We can’t, and shouldn’t, remove our young people from their culture and the world they’re growing up in. But you can choose to talk with your child and make sure they get balanced and honest information. If you don’t, they may get it from less reliable sources.

Try not to see this as a one-off chat but as an ongoing process. Start when children are small (and naturally ask lots of questions) and continue into adulthood.