I'm under 18 and looking for a great night out

Looking for somewhere to go?

There are a number of places in Brixham, Paignton and Torquay where you can go to chill out, hang out with friends, meet new people and take part in activities like sports. To find out more check out the My Bay website.

If you haven’t heard about ‘Parkfield’ in a nutshell it’s a totally new place in Paignton for young people to hang out, learn and have fun. To find out more, visit the Parkfield website. .

Have a laugh (and stay safe)

When you’re out and about we want you to have fun, but also to stay safe. We’ve chosen four subjects that we think are really important to anyone under 18, and we hope that this advice is useful...

number 1 - drugs

You might have heard a lot about drugs from your friends, your school, or on the TV. On the flipside, you might not know very much about drugs at all. The only way for you to make an informed choice about drugs is to know the facts, and luckily you can find them all in one place on the TalktoFrank website.

number 2 - booze

If you’re under 18 and you’re planning on drinking on a night out, remember a few things…

If you’re drinking alcohol in a public place and you’re under 18 years old, the police can by law take it away from you. If you want to check this out for yourself you’ll find it in the Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act 1997. The police can also confiscate alcohol from adults in public places, if they have reason to believe that it’s going to be given to someone who is under 18.

If you’re underage and you ask someone to buy alcohol for you, you’re breaking the law. If they buy it for you, so are they. There is one exception to this though, which is if you’re 16 or 17 years old, you’re having a meal in a pub and you’re with an adult. Even then you can only drink certain things.

If you’re under 18 years old and blag your way into a pub or a club to buy alcohol you’re breaking the law. As it’s illegal for anyone to sell alcohol to someone under 18 in this situation, the licence holder could get into serious trouble as well as you. To find out more about alcohol why not check out the Talk to Frank website or The Site.

number 3 - Sex

Things like sexual health and contraception aren’t always easy to talk about, but there are places that you can get information to help you make your own choices about sex. One thing to remember about sex is that it’s your choice. Your body is important and deserves respect. If anyone tries to make you do something you don’t want to do, then they are disrespecting you and the choice you have made.

If you’re out and anyone tries to bully you or your friends to do something sexual, please tell the police or talk to someone else you trust who can pass the information onto the police. In non-emergency situations you can contact the police on telephone 101 or you can call Crimestoppers on telephone 0800 555 111. You can also call ChildLine on freephone 0800 11 11 for information and advice.

Remember that the age of sexual consent in England is 16 years old. If you want to find out more information about sex, stuff like sexual health, contraception, where to go for a check up, or you want to speak to someone, visit the Sexwize website.

number 4 – crime

When you’re out, if you witness a crime or if you’re a victim of crime, please tell someone. If the police and other agencies don’t know what’s happening to people, they can’t try to help. If you feel comfortable to make a report to the police, you can telephone 101 (this is a non-emergency number). In an emergency situation always telephone 999. You can also email youngvictims@torbay.gov.uk.

Want to do something more with your time?

If you’re aged between 16 and 25 you can take part in vinspired. Vinspired is a national programme which can help hook you up with a volunteering opportunity. If you haven’t thought about volunteering before, check out the vinspired website.

There’s also another website called What's your destination which can link you with job opportunities, work experience, higher education, apprenticeships and volunteering. Visit the What's your destination website.