Approximately 50,000 children are being diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections, with the youngest age at only 11 years old, the Daily Mail reports.
Roughly around 5,386 children below the age of consent have already been treated for Chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes and other types of sexually transmitted infections. In just a decade, the number of reported cases of children suffering from STIs has more than doubled from just 2,474 in 2003. At least 90 children aged 12 or younger were diagnosed with STI in 2012. Doctors are afraid the cases may represent the tip of the iceberg because a lot of youngsters may also be too scared to go and see a general practitioner about their 'embarrassing problem'.
Some children may not also be aware that they are already experiencing a form of STI like Chlamydia which may result to infertility later on in life. This condition does not have any obvious symptoms, if not at all. Charities have claimed that this trend may be a result of children's easy and immediate exposure to pornographic materials, which now becomes their main source of information regarding sex education.
The Public Health England under the Freedom of Information Act released information claiming that over the last three years, 16,707 children under the age of 15 have been diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections. These numbers may be equated to an estimated 15 children being diagnosed with STIs every single day. However, experts clarified that majority of the children aged under 13 who have been diagnosed with the infection are not necessarily 'sexually active' by choice, rather, they are most likely products of sexual abuse.
