Although the issue of sex is discussed loads more now than when your mum and dad used to be at school, most of us at some stage in our lives will get confused about what we should and shouldn’t be doing. Well if you’re at that stage now then you’re in luck. Here, are all the laws on sex and anything that surrounds the issue.

Now first of all, let’s get this straight, there is no target age by which you should have had sex. A lot of the time people choose not to have sex because they are simply not interested in the subject at that point in time, or because it has not yet been the right opportunity. A lot of people wait until they are in a long-term relationship or until they are married.

Make sure you know what you and your partner both want. Pressurising someone into going further than they really want is not only morally wrong, but can get to a stage where it is breaking the law. In law, both people must agree to what they are doing (known as consent) and they must be happy with what is happening. Even kissing and touching someone one without their agreement can be classed as an assault.

• A girl must be sixteen or over before she can legally have sex with a boy. If she has sex before this her partner is breaking the law.

• Girls, unlike boys, cannot be prosecuted for having sex under the age of 16. The law doesn’t usually get involved in punishing girls for having sex.

• However, a woman who has sex with a boy under the age of 16 can be prosecuted for indecent assault, even if the boy consents.

There doesn’t appear to be many laws against girls and underage sex. However, this doesn’t mean that the law on age of consent should be taken light-heartedly. Just remember that it is illegal to have sex under the age of 16. If you do then you would be at risk of getting your boyfriend into serious trouble with the law!

There are quite a few laws against boys having sex with a girl under the age of 16, whether they themselves are over 16 or not. So boys check out the facts and think of how much trouble you could get yourself into before lunging straight into a sexual relationship.

• It is an offence for a boy or a man to have sex with a girl who is under the age of 16 – even if she agrees.

• If a girl is under the age of 13, the maximum penalty that is given to a man is life imprisonment. This is because the law assumes a girl of 12 or under does not understand the consequences of having sex.

• A man who has sex with a girl aged 13-15 can be given a prison sentence of up to two years. If the man is over 24 then he will have no defence and will be found guilty. If he is under 24, has never been charged with the same offence and can show that he genuinely believed the girl was over 16 years, he may not be found guilty.

• Now, a boy aged 10 or over can be prosecuted for having sex with a girl who is under 13. It is also no defence for the boy to say in court that the girl wanted to do it!

The age of consent for male gay relationships is now 16. This law was changed from aged 18 to 16 in December 2000.

Sexual Contact between men is only allowed if both men consent, are over the age of 16 and it takes place in private with no one else present.

Men, like women, have also been dismissed from the armed forces for homosexuality. The law will almost certainly change, as it is unlawful to dismiss people due to their sexuality.