Teenagers given sex education in the home are less likely to have a crisis pregnancy, abortion or sexually transmitted disease, it was claimed today.
But at the launch of a pioneering scheme to cut unplanned pregnancies in Ireland, it was revealed that only a fifth of men and just over a third of women under 25 got any information from their parents.
You Can Talk To Meis a free DVD and booklet advising parents on how to communicate with children about sex and relationships.
Produced by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, it features teenagers and parents discussing sex with doctors and gives tips on how to tackle the subject.
Katharine Bulbulia, of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, said there is a huge need for teenagers to be able to get trusted information.
"Parents may not be aware of this, but teenagers want their parents to talk to them about sex and relationships," she said.
"One conversation is not enough. Young people will have questions as they grow up, and they need to feel that they can go to their parents to get the correct information."
The Irish Study of Sexual Health and Relationships (ISSHR) found that 92 per cent of people think that youngsters should be educated about sexual intercourse, sexual feelings, contraception, safer sex, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and homosexuality.
Some 80 per cent believe it should be provided by parents. But just 21 per cent of men and 38 per cent of women under 25 have had sex education in the home.
"Most teenagers are getting their information about sex and relationships from the media, or from their friends, even though they know that these sources do not always present a true picture," said Ms Bulbulia.
The ISSHR found that when parents spoke to their children about sex and relationships it increased the likelihood that the young person would wait until after the age of 17 before having sexual intercourse.
It also increased the likelihood that the young person would use contraception.
Research showed that women who had sex before 17 were 70 per cent more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy and three times more likely to have an abortion than women who began to have sex after 17.
Men and women who had sex before 17 were also more likely to report having caught an STI.
However, men who found it easy to talk to their father and women who found it easy to talk to their mother about sex were significantly more likely to use contraception when having sex for the first time than those who did not find it easy to talk to their parents.