Children as young as 12 are talking about sex

Children as young as 10-year-olds are curious about sex. A discussion with a few of experts revealed that schoolgoers may not
be sexually active, but they are sexually aware. Dr Kartik Kashyap, a consultant psychiatrist says, “It is strange these days if we come across teens that are willing to wait until the age of 18 for their first sexual encounter. Children start talking about sex when they are as old as 10. By the time they are 12 and 13 and attain puberty, they start talking about
sexual acts and more.” He shares a recent incident,
“I was once called by a principal of a school, who was petrified as he had found an unused condom pack in the bag of a class four student.” Dr Kartik adds, “The kids are aware of sex at a very tender age. It is just information for them, but they are unaware of what to do with this information, which is the tricky part. I suggest that the teachers and parents first accept that the flow of information to these kids is quick and get comfortable to talk about it. Acceptance and discussion is the first step to deal with such situations.”
Exposure to television, internet to blame
Doctors say that the age of children being sexually active has reduced in the past few years. Dr. Padma S, a city-based gynecologist says, “Children as young as 12 to 16 are completely aware of sex. I think it is because of the early exposure to TV, internet and social media, etc.” She goes on to add that unlike before, when sexually active individuals were above 25 years of age, things have changed now. “Previously, adults in the age group of 25+ were involved in sex. However, now teens as old as 18 are involved in sex, which is legally allowed. And it’s not just the age, but the number of students who are sexually active today. The number is huge,” she says.
Need watchful eye of the parents
Kiran Rai, a secondary school teacher, points out to a few incidents that take place in schools these days. She says, “Kids, in the absence of their parents, are exposed to things sooner. With the internet, such things are unavoidable. When the students of class four were recently given a ‘home alone activity’ — to write about what they do when alone at home, one of the students wasn’t
hesitant to pen down a pornographic picture which he was exposed to while playing a game in the absence of his
parents.” The teacher adds that teasing each other with the opposite sex and the rosy talks become a part their conversation at a very tender age and adds to this. “Some schools in Bengaluru have now added rules against hugging. Since hugging is very casual and often friendly at this age, schools are now keeping a check of how long and how much to hug,” she adds.