[Children and adolescents selling sex]

Our knowledge about prostitution is shaped by female street prostitutes, many of whom are drug addicts. Less is known about children and adolescents from the normal population who sell sex. Total cohorts of pupils in all Oslo's schools (N 10,812) in the age groups 14-17 filled in a questionnaire at school. 1.4% of the adolescents had sold sex at least one time, more than three times as many boys as girls. Mean age for first episode was 12.6 years in boys, and 14.1 years in girls, and seventy per cent had sold sex more than three times. There were no associations to indicators of parental social class or residential area in Oslo. The adolescents who had sold sex were more lonely and more often reported symptoms of depression and anxiety than others. A multivariate analysis showed that associations to conduct problems, alcohol problems and use of drugs were most important. The majority reported no contact with public services aiming at helping adolescents with psychosocial problems. A group of children and adolescents in Oslo sell sex. Boys are involved more often than girls, their customers are assumed to be bisexual or homosexual men. These behaviours fall into a pattern of conduct and substance problems, and some of these adolescents could have high long-term risk of antisocial problems and drug abuse. More knowledge is needed, and preventive work should be intensified.