Maybe you read this question and had strong feelings about it. Maybe then, you thought about expressing those feelings with your community and found yourself processing, defending, questioning, or even adjusting those feelings based on who you would be speaking with.
We get it; it can be tough to talk about these things. But, if you remember that everyone who grows up will experience puberty, and most people who make it to adulthood will engage in some form of sexual activity, then you can talk to anyone about the need for some sort of sex education for youth and what that could look like.
And we’re not the only ones who think that. Many parents agree that age-appropriate sex education makes sense when a young person is ready for it. So, when we stay grounded in facts, we can get curious with others and start exploring more questions, like where can young people get age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education? (Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!)
What about sex education at home?
Realistically, every young person is going to mature and develop an understanding of the world and human sexuality at slightly different rates. Just like someone could have their first period as early as age nine or not until they are 14, puberty happens over a wide age range.
Ideally, because of this, young people would have personal educational moments in safe spaces, like at home. There are plenty of resources for parents to use, but let’s be real…not every parent has the time, capacity, or desire to become an expert on the physical and emotional changes of adolescence. Parents already hold so many titles, and sex educator might not be one of them.
Where else can young people get educated?
Community groups, including churches and after school programs, are great options, especially because this usually means a parent has consented to their child’s involvement and would support the education and values of the programs. But that is if these resources are accessible. Not every family is going to be that connected in their community and it’s possible these programs have barriers to entry.
There is one place most young people have access to, and it’s not great…
We can’t ignore the elephant in the room. No matter how many precautions adults take, young people have easier and more consistent access to the internet and social media than ever before. It’s not always a terrible thing—many organizations use their social media platforms to positively reach young people, sharing helpful information on relationships, decision-making, and consent. Teen Empower and Teen Clinic are great examples of Oklahoma City organizations doing just this!
However, it’s almost impossible to control what young people have access to and where they are learning from. If a young person doesn’t have access to healthy sex education, they may be learning from unhealthy sources, like pornography or misinformed influencers. And if they aren’t informed about how to discern safe messages and critically assess what they are viewing, they may go further down a path of misinformation – which we know leads to stigmatizing beliefs and unhealthy decisions. (Fun fact, we have a training on helping youth critically assess sexually explicit media, which you can sign up for here!)
Okay, so is there anywhere that kids can get quality, consistent sex ed???
Yes, at school! There are statewide mandates to attend school; there are standards for health education in schools, and there are organizations and agencies with the ability to provide this much-needed education to our school districts. It’s a great place to reach most young people in a consistent learning environment with experts at the table.
But the unfortunate reality is that:
- Funding is limited, and usually focuses efforts on priority locations like zip codes with high teen birthrates
- A loud minority of parents and politicians fight against sex ed in our schools
- There is no statewide mandate for comprehensive sex ed, and the current mandates are outdated, uninformed and stigmatizing
So, while sex education in schools helps give parents the support they need, offers consistent and comprehensive education, and is MUCH safer than young people learning from the internet, there are barriers to providing the sex ed young people need and deserve.
The good thing is that we can overcome these barriers! We can increase funding to programs that provide direct service in schools. We can engage with local policymakers to improve sex education regulations. We can prioritize the youth in Oklahoma by ensuring they have access to high-quality health education.
Are you ready to support sex education across the state? Get engaged with us and other organizations in the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Collaboration by Joining Our Movement today.