HAS sex education been left behind by the internet? A recent survey by the Edinburgh social research agency The Lines Between would suggest it has – after speaking to women in Scotland, it concluded sex education focuses far too much on biology and not enough on online pornography and its effects.
Now another survey, by the charity Plan International UK, has come to a similar conclusion. Its poll of 2000 adults found that the majority of those asked thought children should be taught about pornography and sexting in school. In the words of the charity’s chief executive Tanya Barron, parents are demanding that their children’s education reflects the 21st century reality of their lives.
It should be noted that sex education in Scottish schools has not stood still – fresh guidance was issued three years ago that reflected, among other things, a new attitude to same-sex relationships. But as Goedele Liekens, the UN goodwill ambassador for sexual health, noted when she visited British schools, sex education in the UK can focus far too much on functionality and should do more to address the new facts about how young people experience sex. According to Liekens, more than 80 per cent of teenagers have seen porn by the time they are 13.
There are obvious dangers in not changing sex education to reflect these social trends, with some teachers saying that the sharing of sexual images on phones or other devices at school is prolific. There is also a risk of online pornography having a negative influence on how young people see each other and their own bodies, and the fact that the teaching of sex education is inconsistent across Scotland does not help the situation.
What children need instead is more advice and information to navigate a world in which pornography is ubiquitous and in which they may face pressure to send or receive sexual texts. Sex education may have changed from the days in which embarrassed teachers would show a video and that was it. But if its aim, as it should be, is to educate and protect, then it needs to change again.
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