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For the first time ever the contraceptive pill has become as popular as condoms among teenagers aged under 15, according to new figures.
A greater number of young teenage girls are choosing
to protect themselves from pregnancy by using oral contraception.
It comes as experts warn it is vital youngsters continue to use condoms, to prevent against sexually transmitted infections.
Last year around 6,600 girls under the age of 15, or 39 per cent of those who attended NHS contraceptive clinics, listed the pill as their contraceptive method of choice.
That compared with 6,900 youngsters or 40 per cent, who used condoms.
The report, compiled by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), revealed a wide variation in the decisions made by teenagers regarding contraception across the UK.
The use of oral contraceptives has risen in recent years and was already more popular among older teenagers and adults.
But the figures mark the first time the pill has caught up with condoms among the under-15 age group.
In 2011-12, condoms were recorded as the primary contraception method used by 46 per cent of young teenagers who attended the clinics, compared with 36 per cent who used the pill.
Jason Warriner, clinical director at sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust, called for regular STI screenings to be brought in across the UK when contraception is prescribed.
He told MailOnline: 'The good thing is young teenagers are accessing contraception services, going on the pill or getting something like the implant.
'But it is vital to make sure when they start on a form of contraception they are offered an STI screening at the same time and are given advice about using condoms in addition to their chosen form of contraception.
'It is about using condoms to reduce the risk of STIs and HIV. The key message is for people to regularly get tested, when they change partners and ensuring their partners are tested as well.
'I would like to see every woman who is on the pill offered STI screening each time they receive a repeat prescription, every three to six months.
'For girls under 15, they fall within the national chlamydia screening programme, but that only tests for one infection.
'The key message is about prevention, using condoms to prevent getting an infection and building that around your contraceptive needs.'
he report, published yesterday, showed a decline in the total number of people who visited NHS contraceptive clinics - an eight per cent fall in the number of attendances and five per cent drop in the number of individuals visiting.
Experts said the drop indicates a shift towards people getting contraception over the counter in pharmacies, or from their GP.
Paul Eastwood, who compiled the HSCIC report, said the data used only refers to those people visiting NHS community contraception clinics.
He added it is vital to remember contraception is also available over the counter at pharmacies and at GP practices.
The study also exposed variations in the decisions made by people in different parts of the UK, regarding their choice of contraception.
In the West Midlands and Yorkshire, one in four women opted to use condoms, while in the south west the figure was one in seven.
The pill was favoured in more than half of all attendances at clinics across the south and east of England but was less popular among women in northern regions.
The research showed that less traditional forms of contraception, including impants and injections - classed as long acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) - are becoming more popular, with almost one in three of women requesting the longer-acting alternatives.
More than two in five women in the north east preferred LARCs, compared to just over one in five women in the West Midlands.
Genevieve Edwards, of Marie Stopes International, welcomed the rising number of people using the pill but urged young people to remember it does not prevent STIs.
She told the Telegraph: 'Young people should also remember however that the Pill only protects against pregnancy, and does not protect you from sexually transmitted infections.'
A Department of Health spokesman said: 'Teenage pregnancies are at their lowest level for 40years.
'A minority of under 16s are sexually active, and it is important that they get good advice about contraception and preventing STIs.'
In total there were 2.3million attendances at clinics across the UK last year, 194,000 or eight per cent fewer when compared with the previous year when 2.5million attendances were recorded.
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