Fewer teens are having sex by the age of 15 as number falls by a third

• One theory is that young people are dating less due to time spent online 

The number of British teenagers having their first sexual experience by the age of 15 has declined by up to a third in the past decade.

Researchers found Britain is also one of only two countries – along with Sweden – where girls are now more sexually active than boys.

One theory is that young people are dating less and have fewer romantic relationships and face-to-face encounters due to the increasing amount of time they spend on social media and their smartphones.

The study, published in the Journal of Sex Research, examined data on 180,000 teens in 33 countries, including England, Wales and Scotland over a ten-year period.

It found that in 25 countries, the number of 15-year-olds who reported they have had sex has significantly decreased, and has increased in none.

In England, there was a 20 per cent decline, down from 26.4 per cent to 21, while in Scotland there was a 35 per cent drop, down from 31.2 per cent to 20.3.

In Wales, the number of teenagers having sex by 15 fell from 34 to 24.6 per cent, a decrease of 28 per cent.

The study also found that 23.6 per cent of British girls reported having had sex by the age of 15, compared with 22.8 per cent of boys. 

It is unclear why there has been a similar decline across so many countries, although researchers say there has been a general decrease in all types of risky behaviours among young people.

The researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands said: ‘There is growing evidence internationally that a decrease in face-to-face socialising may be this underlying factor, reducing opportunities for risk behaviours of all kinds.

‘A decline in adolescent dating has [raised] the possibility that declining prevalence of romantic relationships may have contributed to delayed sexual debut among adolescents.’

Phillip Hodson, a psychotherapist and author, said: ‘This study shows recent history is now the biggest influence on youth behaviour. The Covid pandemic made it illegal for young strangers to become intimate.

‘It’s also 20 years since social media started sucking millions of hours out of teenagers’ lives – time they might previously have spent meeting face-to-face.’