This is the average age when teens lose their virginity
30 October 2018, 15:58 | Updated: 19 November 2018, 15:01
The results might surprise you.
There's no right time to have sex but it happens. And with sex scenes in our favourite shows like Riverdale and Orange Is The New Black, it can cloud our judgement on how the deed really goes down – FYI it's not always like your favourite Netflix show.
It might seem like everyone around you is at it like rabbits but when you get down to it is up to you. Sex is a very personal journey, so whether you've already begun yours or you're not ready to even start thinking about it, don't let anybody tell you what's normal. What even is normal?
Naturally, we all want to know what everyone else is up to and if we fall into that "normal" bracket (again, whatever that is...).
Earlier this year, Zava – an online doctor service previously known as DrEd – surveyed 500 Europeans and 500 Americans to find out what their "sexual journeys" were like. The study found that the average age people lost their virginity is...17.4.
However, the average age of sexual awakening (a sudden realisation of sexual feelings and urges) was slightly younger at 15.2. If you're gay, the study found that their sexual awakening occurred at a younger age than any other group, at 13.8. Meanwhile, for bisexual people it came in slightly higher than the average at 15.4.
Nonetheless, the average age that gay people lose their virginity is slightly higher at 17.9 years old.
The study also discovered that teens are losing their virginity younger.
It was found that those belonging to the Generation X (1961 – 1981) age bracket lost their virginity on average at 18.1, Baby Boomers (1946 – 1964) at 17.6 and Millennials (1981-1996) at 17.4 years-old.
However, other studies suggest that sexual activity among teens is on the decline and it's all down to dating. The age of courtship is long gone and dating for teens isn't that hot either. Only about 56 percent of high-school seniors in 2015 went out on dates, while for Boomers and Gen Xers, the number was about 85 percent. And with dating decreasing so does sexual activity.
A study in The Atlantic found that the average teen in the US now has had sex for the first time by the Spring of 11th grade (or Year 12 in the UK) when they would be aged 16 or 17, a full year later than the average Gen Xer.
