Sir, - I am writing to you about the negative criticism teenage magazines get. I am 15 years old and like many other teenagers I buy these magazines and don't agree with the unfair criticism they get about promoting underage sex.
They supply the information and advice to people who want to know about sex but they never encourage it. As a matter of fact they do the opposite, to a degree. When anybody asks for information about sex, they tell people to wait until they are ready and not to give in to peer pressure. And for those who feel they are ready, they encourage people to use protection and warn them about sexually-transmitted diseases.
The criticism, I feel, is unbalanced and unfair. I have been buying these magazines for a year or two now. My friends and I feel they haven't encouraged us to have sex. We know the magazines are there to give us the information if and when we need it, without encouraging it. - Yours, etc.,
Bronagh Ryan, Westway View, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.