- About 40% of teens are having sex without access to proper sex education and support.
- Destigmatizing sex can bring down pregnancy rates and prevent STIs.
- Destigmatizing sex includes providing accurate information and ensuring a safe space for teens to learn.
Around 40% of teens report having had sex, a number which is at an all-time low. However, many of these teens are having sex without appropriate education to protect themselves. Fortunately, sex education can explore the subject of sex and its surrounding topics without fear or stigma. Sex education has a proven track record of reducing pregnancy and the transmission of STIs among teens. If you’re wondering how you can implement sex education to normalize learning and a free exchange of information, this blog is here to help.
How to Break the Stigma
There are a few ways you can break the stigma around sex education as a parent and as an institution, like a school. Take a look at how you can encourage open discussions and provide support to teens.
Provide Accurate Information
The key to destigmatizing sex and sex education is accurate and reliable data. You should be sharing information about prevention, testing, and treatment without discarding any one method to “protect” the teens from information you deem unimportant. If anything is missing from your sex education discussions, teens may get carried away with rumours and myths that are ineffective — or worse, actually harmful for their health. Actively work toward re-educating those who are caught up in myths about sex and STIs to ensure a safer teen population.
Teens want to know about old wives' tales that prevent pregnancy or how unique sex toys can enhance or detract from their experience. Let them ask the questions that are on their minds to ensure they feel safe seeking advice.
Work Toward Acceptance
On the topic of kids feeling safe opening up to parents and other adult figures, promoting an environment of acceptance and support is crucial to destigmatizing sex education. Teens should feel comfortable coming to you to discuss their sexual health without worrying about a lecture, discrimination, or punishment. If they feel your fear and judgment, they may develop feelings of shame and stop communicating openly. Mistakes happen, and teens should be able to learn and grow from them in the same way as anything else.
Debunk Myths
Hand in hand with providing accurate information to teens in sex education comes debunking myths. Many people have outdated beliefs about sex and STIs, and there are always rumours swirling in the teen community about having sex. Some teens may not know what to expect from their experience, some are exploring alternative ways to prevent pregnancy, and some are trying to learn more about kinks and sex toys, like rose vibrators or suction masturbators. Provide a compassionate approach that debunks as many myths as possible as kindly as possible.
Make Sure It’s Age Appropriate
Sex education can start as early as elementary school. While this may be considered too young by many, sex education can be tailored for age in order to ensure children have as much information as they need to protect themselves. As kids get older, you can start introducing new concepts and expanding on education that you glossed over at an earlier stage.
Champion Testing
Finding out if you have an STI is critical for ensuring your health and the health of your sexual partners. Normalize and encourage regular testing for sexually active people to prevent the spread of infection. Regular sexual checkups will reduce the fear and stigma around sex, pregnancy, and STIs. Even when teens are only sexting, it’s important to educate them on the next steps so they can take them when necessary.
How Sex Ed Affects Teens
Any type of sex education will improve teen lives. Studies show that teens who received sex education delayed their first sexual experience when compared with those who didn’t receive any education. Some other effects of sex education on teens include the increased use of contraception methods, like birth control, condoms, and abstinence. They were also less likely to have a large age discrepancy between themselves and their partners, ensuring more age-appropriate relationships.
Final Thoughts
Children and teens deserve appropriate, comprehensive sex education to create a strong foundation for their development and exploration into gender and sexuality — especially when they need to understand how these things relate to their bodies, sexuality, mental health, relationships, community, and culture. While minimal sex education, like abstinence, does result in healthier sexual behaviors, it’s not enough to cover just the basics when trying to protect teens and destigmatize sex. With sex education, teens have more control over their reproductive health, partner selection, and contraceptive choices.
Make sex education a key part of their development to break the stigma and protect them as they mature.
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