Under 16s

What if a young person is under the age of 16?

This service will make free condoms available to sexually active young people between the ages of 13-15.  There is no legislation which makes it unlawful to provide condoms to under 16s but we have to be aware of other legislation including the Sexual Offences Act (Scotland) 2009 and national guidance including Under-age Sexual Activity: Meeting the Needs of Children and Young People and Identifying Child Protection Concerns (Scottish Government, 2010). 

In short, when providing free condoms to young people under the age of 16 distributors are asked to have a brief discussion with the young person, as has always been standard practice, to ensure that they are not in an exploitative or abusive situation.  This should happen every time they seek condoms.  As with all other service users, there is no need to issue cards or complete monitoring forms for this age group.