Sexual Education in Schools: why a Review is Essential
Concerns about children turning to AI chatbots for sexual education
The UK government is reviewing the curriculum of sexual education in schools amid concerns that children are being exposed to inappropriate material for their age.
An expert panel will review sex and relationships lessons, with updated guidance due in September (which is also Sexual Health Awareness Month) to ensure students are not exposed to “disturbing or inappropriate content”. The Government have been urged to ensure the new guidance for sex education classes includes all relevant topics including sex, relationships and gender identity. There are fears that some content will be “censored”.
It's important to protect children against consuming certain material before they are age-appropriate, however, a recent survey by Plan International UK has revealed disturbing data. The findings show that one in 10 young people have used AI chatbots such as ChatGPT for information about sexual health. This amounts to 700,000 16-25-year-olds across the UK.
Why are kids turning to online sources for sex education?
According to a study by Superdrug Online Doctor, 72% of sexually active respondents felt that their sex education at school was very basic or poor. Another survey by Student Beans found that 39% of Gen Z do not feel represented in the Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) they receive. Young people may feel embarrassed to ask questions or concerns about STIs or other sexual health-related topics, but turning to online sources leaves them vulnerable to misinformation, disturbing content, or in some darker cases sexual exploitation or sexual harassment.
Sex education doesn't make kids have more sex
Over the past 20 years, numerous studies have consistently shown that teaching comprehensive sexual education in schools doesn't encourage kids to start having sex sooner or more often. Sex education actually helps young people make informed decisions and have healthy sexual relationships, understand the risks of sexually transmitted infections and avoid unplanned pregnancies.
Why is sex education important?
Sex ed is a vital part of life. It's an opportunity for young people to learn accurate information, ask questions in a safe environment, and prevent them from turning to online sources such as chatbots or social media platforms like TikTok. Sex education as part of the national curriculum within schools can also help parents begin having conversations with their children, as many parents struggle to talk to their kids about sexual health and sexual activity.
Start safe and stay safe
By educating and empowering young people with age-appropriate information we can help them to make informed decisions about sexual intercourse. We can teach sex education to improve safe sex practices, reduce unintended pregnancies, and generally support young people in a period of their lives when they are going through big changes.
Informative, comprehensive sex education will encourage young people to have healthy sexual relationships, avoid sexually transmitted diseases and improve their mental wellbeing.
