ABSTRACT
It is well documented that peers exert influence on an adolescent’s sexual behavior. It is in the light of this that this study looks into the influence of peer group pressure on sexual behaviour of secondary school students in Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State. One hundred (100) students of mixed public secondary schools was used. Four research hypotheses were formulated. The findings show that there is correlation between peer group influence and permissive attitude toward sexual practices among secondary schools students. There was no difference in terms of age and sex. Boys tend to be more sexual active than girls, while involvement in sexual activity increased with age. The study established that peers exert great influence on the adolescent through various means. These include exposure to pornographic films, pornographic magazines, romantic novels, and discussion of sexual issues. The study also discusses the dangers of this situation for the adolescents. The study recommends that relevant sexuality and reproductive health information should be provided to adolescents through joint effort by parents, counselors and educators so as to enlighten them on the dangers of pre-marital sex.
