NSPCC UK — Sexual development and behaviour in children
It’s important that everyone who works with children and young people has a good understanding of how children develop sexually. This can help you recognise which sexual behaviours are developmentally typical and identify if a child is displaying behaviour that is problematic or harmful.
We’ve put together some information about the stages of typical sexual development and behaviour for different age groups. We’ve included examples of behaviour that is common and uncommon, and information about what to do if you are worried that a child is displaying problematic or harmful sexual behaviour.
Stages of child sexual development
All children go through phases of sexual development. Just like every other part of growing up, some children mature sooner or later than others. For example, some children may have developmental delays whilst others may reach puberty early.
In general, typical sexual behaviour should be:
- playful and curious, not aggressive or angry (National Sexual Violence Resource Centre, 2013)
- displayed towards children of a similar age, stage of development and physical size, who know each other well (National Sexual Violence Resource Centre, 2013; National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), 2009)
- voluntary and consensual (NCTSN, 2009).
Typical sexual behaviour should not cause physical or emotional harm to anybody involved (National Sexual Violence Resource Centre, 2013).
The tabs to the left contain some examples of typical sexual behaviour for different ages.
Credit sources from (“https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-health-development/sexual-behaviour”)