'Birds and the bees' chat does not prevent underage sex, study suggests

The traditional “birds and the bees” talk fails to prevent teenagers having sex while underage, a new study suggests.

A review of 30 years of research indicates that parental advice to young adolescents is likely to less to be influential than peer pressure, perceived attractiveness and social popularity in determining when young adults first have sex.

However, the analysis showed that such chats do tend to lead to better condom use and generally safer sexual practices.

Published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the study also scotched theories that early parental intervention motivates teenagers into engaging in sexual activity earlier than they otherwise would.

The research team analysed 31 trials involving more than 12,400 youngsters, aged nine to 18, with an average age of just over 12.

Dr Laura Widman, who helped run the research at North Carolina State University, said: “People have been studying parent-based sexual health interventions for decades, and we wanted to know how effective they are, as well as whether there are specific features of these interventions that make them more effective."

She added: “The kids who were taught about sexual health did not become sexually active any earlier than kids who were not part of the interventions.