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Average Penis Size for Boys and Teens

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Barbara Poncelet, CRNP, is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in teen health.
Tyra Tennyson Francis, MD, is a board-certified family medicine physician and currently serves as the medical director of an outpatient clinic.
Verywell / Michela Buttignol / Getty Images

Adolescence is a time for growth spurts and other changes spurred by the onset of puberty . It can be a time of great uncertainty, as some teens will inevitably fall behind others in their development. 1

Among the key sexual maturation changes, the testicles get larger and the scrotum begins to thin and redden. In tandem with these changes is the growth of the penis which can develop at different rates for different people. 2

As sexual awareness increases, concerns about penis size may deepen, particularly if all other signs of puberty (including height, body hair, and changes in voice ) are robust. Knowing what to expect—and what an "average" penis size really means—can help alleviate a lot of the stress. 1

The good news is that penis size is rarely a sign of a medical problem. 3 With that being said, there are few answers about "normal" penis size that will satisfy an emotionally impatient teen.

Between the ages of 10 and 14, when most of the growth spurts occur, teens will often feel the need to "size up" with their peers, believing themselves to fall short if they are anything less than average. Even in kids as young as 11, the visible changes seen in others can quickly turn from a source of curiosity to one of anxiety. 1

To help dispel these fears, parents need to understand and share the facts about normal penis development with their children if and when it becomes an issue.

Generally speaking, genitals develop in somewhat predictable stages. According to experts at Stanford Children's Health, the stages of sexual maturation in people with penises break down roughly as follows: 2

What is important to note is that, unlike wet dreams and acne, there is no specific age by which the genitals will start to grow. It can be difficult to know exactly when puberty will start and how it will develop. 4

For some, it may appear as an almost single event. In others, it may develop in fits and starts right through early high school. While siblings often follow similar growth patterns, there can even be variations among them that defy expectations. 1

Even if a penis appears small by the age of 14, there is still an opportunity for growth. With that being said, many parents will want to schedule an appointment with the family doctor if their child's penis hasn't started to grow after the appearance of body and facial hair. 3 Generally speaking, by the age of 18 to 19, little additional growth can be expected. 4

The penis begins growing around one year after testicle growth begins. The age limit for penis growth is around age 18. The average penis length by age, outlined in Adolescent and Young Adult Health Care: A Practical Guide by Lawrence Neinstein, MD, should only serve as a guideline for genital development. 5

It should not be used to check if a teen is developing "on schedule" (an action that may only underscore insecurity). Rather, it should be used as a reference if your child fears they are falling behind in relation to all other markers for puberty.

The approximate ranges of a non-erect penis by age are as follows: 5

Because there may be errors in how the penis is measured, it is usually best to have the measurement done by a pediatrician or, better yet, an adolescent health specialist. 6

The diagnosis of an abnormally small penis would seem to be a pretty straightforward process, but it is actually not. While a physical exam may establish that a penis is below what might be expected for a child's age, it cannot accurately predict how much growth may still occur.

However, regardless of age at diagnosis, micropenis is defined as a penis 2.5 deviations smaller than the mean average for the age. 7

Early diagnosis, in infancy or early childhood, is important for effective treatment. If hormone deficiency is the underlying cause, for example, hormone supplementation can be effective at encouraging catch-up growth. 8

Keep in mind that there may be factors other than growth that explain a penis' abnormally short appearance. For example, excessive pelvic fat can obscure an otherwise normal-sized penis. The same may occur if a child has a very large frame, creating the impression that the penis is smaller than it is. 8

Less commonly, there are congenital conditions that limit how much of the penis is externally seen. Examples include penoscrotal webbing (in which the scrotum extends up the underside of the penis, creating an indistinct junction between the two) and phimosis (in which the foreskin is unable to retract). 9

Small penis size can sometimes occur as a result of a genetic disorder (such as Klinefelter's syndrome) which impedes the production of testosterone during fetal development. 8

Generally speaking, after the age of 8 there is little a doctor can do to promote penis growth in boys. For boys 8 and under, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may be used; research suggests that it is most effective in infancy and early childhood. 8 Delivered in three intramuscular injections over 12 weeks, TRT may increase the child's penis size to the reference range for their age. 6

For older boys, surgery may be explored to treat concealed penis abnormalities. The approach can vary by case, but may include circumcision or more extensive reconstructive procedures in which the skin of the penis is "degloved" and repositioned with sutures and skin grafts. 8

Penis enlargement surgery (phalloplasty) is not considered a reasonable option until later in life. The risk of complications may outweigh the perceived benefits, and the results tend to be variable at best. 8

While concerns about penis size may be understandable in teens going through puberty, it is unhelpful for those emotions to be echoed or reinforced by parents or family members. Ultimately, penis size should never be considered a measurement of one's masculinity or virility. These cultural attitudes only serve to undermine teens' confidence at a time when they are only just starting to explore who they are.

If your child is concerned about their penis size, take the time to discuss their feelings without diminishing them. In some cases, penis size may only be a symptom of a larger problem. In some cases, there may have been teasing at school or an underlying lack of confidence for which penis size is emblematic.

Whether the issue is physical or psychological, it often helps to work with a medical professional trained in adolescent health. By allowing an objective third party into the conversation, you can avoid any suggestion that there is a "problem" that needs resolving. Acknowledge your child's feelings and reassure them of their self-worth, but avoid false assurances and platitudes that may only add to their anxiety.

American Academy of Pediatrics. Puberty .
Han JH, Lee JP, Lee JS, Song SH, Kim KS. Fate of the micropenis and constitutional small penis: do they grow to normalcy in puberty? . J Pediatr Urol . 2019 Oct;15(5):526.e1-526.e6. doi:10.1016/j.jpurol.2019.07.009
Nemours KidsHealth. Is my penis normal? .
Nerli RB, Guntaka AK, Patne PB, Hiremath MB. Penile growth in response to hormone treatment in children with micropenis. Indian J Urol . 2013;29(4):288–291. doi:10.4103/0970-1591.120107
Hatipoğlu N, Kurtoğlu S. Micropenis: Etiology, diagnosis and treatment approaches . J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol . 2013;5(4):217-223. doi:10.4274/Jcrpe.1135
De Jesus LE, Dekermacher S, Anderson KM. Severe forms of concealed penis without hypospadias: Surgical strategies . Indian J Urol. 2015;31(4):344-8. doi:10.4103/0970-1591.163308

By Barbara Poncelet

Barbara Poncelet, CRNP, is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in teen health.

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I Lost My Virginity to a Straight Boy
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I was 19 when I first had full-on sex with another man. I was at college, living in dorms, and the experience—aside from the usual horrifying awkwardness and somewhat spontaneity of the occasion—was completely and utterly unremarkable aside from one thing: the guy I slept with identified as straight.
The whole thing went down near the end of my freshman year at a party, at which people from the whole dorm floor were drunk and celebrating, carelessly streaming in and out of each other’s rooms, following the various different pop songs until one room took their fancy. I can remember, although I'd had some drinks, sitting alone in my friend’s room on a single bed, the mattress overly springy and with a coarse plastic coating, attempting to stream a song over our dorm’s spotty Internet connection.
It was late (or early, depending on your outlook on the world) when I was joined by the boy who was living in the room next to mine, way back on the other side of the building. He was clearly intoxicated, but it was a party after all and who was I, quite drunk myself, to judge. The minutiae of exactly how things developed from us being together in that room to us having slightly unsuccessful sex in a bathroom in a different corridor have since escaped me. All I know is that one moment we were talking and the next minute, well... we weren’t. I didn’t tell him that I’d never had sex with someone before; instead, saturated with vodka and inflated by nerves, I was swept up in the motions.
Before that night, I had hardly been a nun. When I was a teenager, I was precocious and restless. As the only out young gay kid at my school, I took the advancement of my sexual experiences into my own hands and I did what we all do: I bought a fake ID and hit the gay clubs. Out on the scene I had thrilling and, now looking back, precarious hook ups with guys, going far but never all the way. I know now as LGBTQ people we can define exactly what constitutes sex for ourselves, but when you’re young and your only sex education comes in the shape of illegally downloaded Sean Cody videos, penetration seems like the end all be all.
Still, as I grew into my late-teens, venues started to crack down harder on underage drinking, and it soon became increasingly difficult to go and hook up with guys much older than myself. I felt, in my increasingly anxious and deflated state, that I was being left behind. My first year at college, apart from being grueling mentally, was hardly a sexual smorgasbord of one-night-stands and hook-ups. Instead, I reverted to my teenage years, pining after straight boys who I knew I had no chance in hell with... until that night.
I’d love to say that I felt empowered by fucking my first guy, but the whole experience left a lot to be desired. While I knew it wouldn’t be like a gay college erotica I’d read on Nifty.org (gay canon, really), I rather naively wasn’t expecting the fall out. The boy told his then-girlfriend (who I knew about), saying I had come on to him but that nothing had really happened. Although one thing I can vividly remember was that it was quite literally the other way around, the visceral shock of being somewhat shoved back in the closet and denied the celebratory expungement of my virginity was palpable.
For the next year, we’d hook-up on and off, usually at 3 a.m. after we’d been out partying. We’d meet surreptitiously in dark and make out in the cold British weather on a park bench before venturing back to his place to have sex. And while at the beginning I felt like I had the upper hand in the situation—I was the one who was out and comfortable in my sexuality, right?—after each time we met became more secretive and more dirty, I began to feel secretive, dirty, and most of all shameful . I’m not sure whether I really fell for the guy or not, but I do know that at the end of it he was just using me to get off.
I never learned whether the boy I lost my virginity to was struggling with his sexuality. I think, when I look back now and occasionally find myself tumbling through his Facebook page, that he wasn’t. I believe it was just sex, or at least that’s what I have tell myself now to avoid slipping into a memory induced k-hole. I realize I fell into that old gay adage of placing my feelings on a person who, for whatever reason, was never going to invest them back in me. Worst of all, though, the shame attached to the memories of those first times marred how I would approach sex for years.
It was listening to Years & Years’ new song “Sanctify,” and seeing the band’s out gay singer Olly Alexander talk about how the song was inspired his sexual trysts with straight men, that I realized that these feelings are way more common than people let on. Sure, I know all about gay guys having sex with straight guys, but it felt reassuring to see him describe the “saint and sinner role” he embodied during those experiences, and to hear the uncertainty and melancholy weaved into the song.
More than anything though, was the repeated lyrical mantra of “I won’t be ashamed.” Because as queer people, we’re buried in lifetime’s worth of shame so vivid and searing that oftentimes it’s crippling. Bursting through that shame is our badge of honor, our beautifully united experience. And maybe, like the song says, that does sanctify our sex lives and makes us just a little bit holy.
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The Boys on Amazon: Full frontal nudity and bizarre sex scenes shock viewers
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Trailer for new superhero drama 'The Boys'
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The Boys is now out on Amazon and it has left viewers both shaken and stirred
The Boys have arrived on our screens and they've shocked some viewers.
New Amazon Prime Video series The Boys, based on the graphic novels of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, follows a group of vigilantes intent on bringing down the corrupt superhero team known as The Seven.
Karl Urban stars as the leader of the Boys known as Billy Butcher who takes a vengeful but traumatised Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) under is wing to fight the superheros, including leader Homelander (Antony Starr) and The Deep ( Chace Crawford ).
Some viewers found the graphic scenes including full-frontal nudity and bizarre sexually explicit scenes a bit too much, while others were just surprised.
Taking to Twitter , audience members shared their views on the superhero show.
One wrote: "With 'The Boys' coming out I'd like to share that it's meant to be absolutely over the top with graphic sexual content and nudity. All of it paints the right picture for the world it depicts. If you're never disgusted then the show missed it's mark. #TheBoys "
Another tweeted: "Started “The Boys” on Amazon...this show is so brutal. And I just finished episode 1 So much male frontal nudity too"
They added: "Yeah I was in shock a little bit after the first violent encounter but it’s not so bad"
An impressed fan wrote: "If you want a super hero show with a bunch of nudity sex and language... watch ‘the boys’"
Another said: "Watching The Boys on Amazon Prime . Nudity, graphic violence , adult themes. And Carl Urban . I like it"
They also wrote: "And hot dayum Carl Urban has got one fine a**!"
However, one complained that the scenes were unnecessary: "I really wanted to like @amazon The Boys but damn is there any f**king show that isn’t full of nudity, sex? Don’t call me a prude because I’m not but jeez the premise is so good. It doesn’t need this s**t."
The Boys season 1 is available now on Amazon Prime Video.
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