A new campaign has been launched to encourage young people to wait longer before having sex for the first time.
The "b 4 u decide" campaign was developed by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA) and comprises a website and other materials designed to encourage teenagers to make informed decisions about relationships and sex.
Young people who engage in sex before the age of consent (17) are more likely to experience crisis pregnancy, to have an abortion and to contract a sexually transmitted disease, according to research carried out by the agency.
"Young people who had sex at an early age were also more likely to express regret - to say that they wished they waited longer," Prof Hannah McGee of the Royal College of Surgeons told the launch.
Teenage sexual activity was highly culturally influenced, she said, and "myths" of early sexual experience abounded, she said.
In fact, the majority of Irish young people wait until they are 17 or more to have sex. Less than one-third of young adult men (18 to 24-year-olds) and 22 per cent of young women say they had sex before the age of 17.
Over 200 young people, 40 adults and 16 parents were involved in the creation of the project, which is aimed at parents, youth workers and teachers as well as teenagers.
The website features, quizzes, polls and video interviews with young people on forming healthy relationships, dealing with peer pressure and reasons why it is better to wait to have sex. Practical information is also provided on the age of consent, sexually transmitted diseases, contraception and crisis pregnancy.
Caroline Spillane, director of the CPA, said young people experienced immense pressure from their peers, boyfriends and girlfriends, and the media, but differed in their ability to cope with these pressures.
"State organisations, parents, teachers and youth workers must work together to ensure that all young people are similarly equipped with the knowledge and confidence to handle the pressures they experience, and make healthy, informed decisions about relationships and sex."
Launching the initiative today, Cliona Ni Chiosain, the star of TG4's Aifric, said it would be a lifeline for teenagers because it provided non-judgmental information.
