How do I know I am ready for sex?

This page is for people aged 13 years and older.

If you are younger than 13 year old you can talk to a trusted adult about sex.

This page has drawings of:

• private body parts
• people with no clothes on

This page also has drawings of:

• sexual touching
• penis in vagina sex

These drawings are there to help you understand.

There are no photos of real people’s private body parts on our website.

It is ok to see these drawings when learning about sex and realtionships.

If you have any questions or upset about anything you read, it is good to speak to an adult you trust.

Move down the page to learn more.

Sex should feel good.

Find out more about pleasure and why sex should feel good.

Both people need to agree to have sex.

This is called consent.

Only have sex if you feel like you want to.

It is ok to wait until you are ready.

Not everyone wants to have sex.

The law says people should be 16 or older before they have sex.

The law is there to protect young people.

There are risks we have to think about, for example:

• unplanned pregnancy
• sexual infections
• having sex before being ready

We need to know how to keep ourselves safe.

You should never feel threatened, pressured, or forced to have sex.

This is against the law.

Learn more about sexual consent and the law.

Learn more about sex.

Move down the page to learn about being ready to have sex.

Sex should be something that you and your partner both feel ready to do.

This is called consent.

You might be ready to have sex if you and your partner:

• love each other
• fancy or are attracted to each other
• trust each other
• feel safe with each other

You might be ready to have sex if you and your partner feel excited and happy about having sex.

Find out more about pleasure.

You might be ready to have sex if you know:

• what sex is
• there are different types of sex

Learn more about sex.

You might be ready to have sex if you and your partner:

• know how to stop sexual infections and pregnancy from happening
• know where to get contraception and condoms

You might be ready to have sex if you know what feels good for you.

You know what you want to do or try.

Learn more about sex.

You might be ready to have sex if you and your partner have talked about what you both like and do not like.

You need to get and give consent for every kind of sex.

You might be ready to have sex if you and your partner listen to and respect each other.

This is part of getting and giving consent.

You might be ready to have sex if you and your partner know you can stop, or change your mind, at any time.

If sex does not feel good for either of you, you can stop anytime. Always tell your partner if something does not feel good or if you change your mind.

You might be ready to have sex if you have a private place.

This might be a bedroom with the curtains and door closed.

Never have sex in a public place.

Some examples of public places are a school, a park, a cinema, or a bus.

Learn more about the difference between public and private places on Planet Puberty.

Play the private vs. public game here.