Iceland’s minister for children, Ásthildur Lóa Thórsdóttir, has resigned from her position following her public admission that she had a child with a teenage boy more than three decades ago.

In an interview with local media, Thórsdóttir revealed that she began a relationship with the boy when he was 15 and she was a 22-year-old counsellor at a religious group he attended.

She gave birth to his child when he turned 16, while she was 23. “It’s been 36 years, a lot of things change in that time and I would definitely have dealt with these issues differently today,” the 58-year-old told Icelandic media.

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The disclosure prompted a swift response from Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, who described the development as “a serious matter”, although she stated that she knew little more than “the average person”. “This is a very personal matter [and] out of respect for the person concerned, I will not comment on the substance,” she said.

According to Visir newspaper, the prime minister said she only became aware of the situation on Thursday night and subsequently summoned Thórsdóttir to her office, where the resignation was tendered.

The revelations were first reported by the Icelandic news agency RUV on Thursday evening. In an interview with the agency, Thórsdóttir disclosed that she had met the boy, identified by RUV as Eirík Ásmundsson, while working at the religious organisation Trú og líf (Religion and Life), which he had joined due to a troubled home environment. Thórsdóttir gave birth to their son a year later, when Ásmundsson was 16 and she was 23.

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RUV reported that the relationship remained secret at the time, though Ásmundsson was present at the birth of his son and spent the child’s first year with him. The news agency also stated that the arrangement changed after Thórsdóttir met her current husband.

Documents reportedly seen by RUV indicate that Ásmundsson had applied to the justice ministry for access to his son, a request that was denied by Thórsdóttir. Despite this, she continued to receive child support payments from him for the following 18 years.

A relative of Ásmundsson reportedly contacted the prime minister twice last week about the relationship. Frostadóttir said she only pursued the matter after learning that a government minister was involved, which subsequently led to the full disclosure and resignation.

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Speaking again during her TV interview with RUV on Thursday night, Thórsdóttir expressed her dismay over the matter being brought to the prime minister’s attention. “I understand… what it looks like,” she said, adding that it is “very difficult to get the right story across in the news today”.

While the age of consent in Iceland is 15, the law prohibits sexual relationships with individuals under 18 in cases where the older party holds a position of power or trust, such as being a teacher, mentor, financial provider, or employer. The maximum penalty for such an offence is three years’ imprisonment.

Although she has stepped down from her ministerial role, Thórsdóttir confirmed that she has no intention of vacating her seat in parliament.