Teenage sex tips – mum’s not the word

This eye-catching teen magazine cover line would strike terror in the heart of any mother who found it among her daughter’s school books.

But flip beyond the cover and the super-sexualised images and you soon discover the stories beneath the sensationalised headlines are in many cases more about educating and informing than a glossy blend of sex and smut.

Take for instance the headline "I got pregnant over the internet" a cover line on the current issue of girlie mag Dare.

The story is of a 12-year- old girl who, posing as a 16-year-old, formed a friendship over the internet with a 17-year-old boy. They met, had sex, she got pregnant, he disowned her. She had an abortion, lost most of her friends, dropped out of school and her angry and disappointed father turned against her.

The "real life" article is accompanied by graphic advice columns warning of the dangers of internet relationships. Most real life stories in these magazines follow a similar format. Helpline numbers are given prominence in articles about rape, homosexuality, incest, sexual or physical abuse, and bullying.

Counsellors often give expert opinions. Serious matters are not treated flippantly and, if anything, there is a tendency to adopt the higher moral ground.

Cosmo Girl, aimed at 13 to 17-year-olds, last year published a sealed guide to sex.

Cosmo Girl British editor Celia Duncan defended its contents, saying it always discussed sex responsibly, informing readers rather than promoting sex.

"In fact, our sexual health expert is a trained Childline counsellor it's very important that they are well-trained, experienced people dealing with these issues," she said.

The Cosmo guide promised to "answer all the questions they don't teach you in sex education".

It highlighted a void, apparent this week, in the figures released by Childline detailing the number of calls to its helpline last year. An overall increase of 72% on the previous year, the number of calls relating to sexual issues, at 7,131, up 8%.

Why are children ringing a helpline to voice their concerns about sexual issues? What is happening in their homes or in the classroom, where sex education has now become compulsory?

The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) has long been vocal in its criticism of the "hit-and-miss" approach to sex education. In an effort to remedy the situation, it attempted, in tandem with the North Eastern Health Board, to launch a series of sex education booklets last July. Chief executive Catherine Heaney said too many young people are reaching adulthood without a real understanding of how their body works.

"Recent surveys from three health board areas show that 25% of teenagers are sexually active by the age of 16. However, many are unaware of sexually transmitted infections and some do not link sex to having a child."

At the time of the proposed booklet launch, Ms Heaney said there was a glaring need to improve the quality of information that young people are receiving.

The launch was halted at the last minute, the failure to include the age of consent in "4 Boys a below-the-belt guide to the male body" was blamed.

Complaints about the graphic nature of the booklets, and what some perceived as vulgar images and glib advice flooded in.

The 4,000 booklets, produced at a cost of €5,000, have gathered eight months of dust in a health board office while many children are in the dark about sexual issues.

It is hoped a schools programme will remedy that. The Social, Personal and Health programme, a compulsory part of the curriculum since last September, includes a module on sex education, from infants up.

The content and extent of the education, however, is down to the individual school and its ethos. Parents can withdraw their child for the protection of the individual belief system of the family.

Teachers' unions said it was too soon to assess the effectiveness of the school programme and that it was unlikely to bring down the number of calls to Childline until it had been in place for a couple of years.

Barbara Johnston, spokesperson for the National Congress of Catholic Secondary School Parent Associations, criticised the primary school programme, saying information was being handed down to children "not ready for it", resulting in confusion and misunderstandings.

Back in the real world, thousands of teenagers, confused and detached, are forced to phone a helpline for advice because they feel they have nowhere else to turn.