Alex's Answer

Hi There,

Welcome to Ask Alex. Well done for reaching out and expressing your thoughts, we know it can be a very hard thing to do and it takes a lot of braveness and courage.

You have said that you are sixteen and you think about sex all the time and the person you’d like to have sex with, and you are wondering if this is normal and are you wrong. We think it is important that you feel safe speaking about sex, and it is not anything you should be embarrassed about. It is normal to think about sex, especially as a teenager as your body is going through some hormonal changes which may impact how often we think about sex.

We also think it is important that you know that the legal age for sex in Ireland is 17. This is relating to the age of consent which is another important area to think about when thinking about sex.

We have some articles on our website that you may find helpful: www.childline.ie/lets-talk-about-sex/; www.childline.ie/sex-and-consent/.

It may also help to talk to someone if you are feeling worried about these thoughts or even to just chat about this further. If you don’t feel ready to talk to someone you know yet you can always call Childline any time of the day, any day of the week, and they will be there for you. They can be reached through the free phone 1800 66 66 66 or using the live chat at www.childline.ie. You can start a chat at any time by clicking on the Orange Live Chat button on your screen.

Take care of yourself,

Alex