Distribution of young people according to the age of their first kiss in France 2013

In 2013, it appears that the majority of French teenagers were in middle school when they had their first kiss. Love appears to be an important area of life at a young age, with more than 50 percent of young French people stating that love relationships were important for them.

First love experiences

Even though new technologies and smartphones may have changed the way teenagers live their love life, it seems that the age for first love and sex experiences has not really changed over the years. From 2014 to 2017, the median age at first sexual intercourse remained at 17 years, regardless of gender. But before experiencing love with a partner, teenagers first discover their sexuality alone or through pornographic movies. Most teenagers were aged 13 to 14 years the first time they masturbated, whereas the majority of young French people were between 14 and 15 years old when they watched a porno movie for the first time.

A change in sexual practices

Easy access to porn from the Internet might has an influence on the way young adults see their sexuality. In 2017, 18 percent of female teenagers in France thought that pornography had a rather negative impact on their sexuality. On the other hand, sexual liberation, as well as the influence of feminist rhetoric in society, might also impact the evolution of sexual practices. In 1992, 42 percent of teenagers aged 18 to 19 years declared having already practiced oral sex. In 2013, this share reached nearly 80 percent.