Almost 1,300 girls aged 12, 13 or 14 went on the pill in 2010, according to figures from the Norwegian Prescription Database.

Use of the birth-control pill increased among girls and women of all ages, a trend that was welcomed by the Norwegian Medicines Agency, newspaper VG reports.

“Abortion figures for girls aged 15 to 19 have dropped significantly over the last two to three years. We’ve seen a considerable drop in unwanted pregnancies among the very youngest and that’s a pleasing development,” said medical director Steinar Madsen.

But for general practitioner Morten Øwre, the pill statistics conceal a broader societal change.

“Young people in today’s society are exposed to sexuality far too early. They need a counterweight, one that isn’t entirely based on religion,” he told VG.

Elisabeth Høglund Pettersen, a nurse and sexologist, said nobody should be surprised to learn that 13-year-olds girls were having sex.

“Not when you see the kind of message these girls are getting from media, TV, clothing and other channels,” she told the newspaper.