Sex Education For Teens: 6 Things Parents & Teachers Are Guilty Of

Studies show that not only does sex education keep students safer, it also encourages students to wait. With facts like these, why aren’t more schools teaching things that students really need to know? It’s disappointing, concerning, and really discouraging.

Sex is a huge part of our world, and there’s no getting around it. School administrators, & educators can pretend all they want that teens aren’t having sex, but they’re wrong. Every day, I get questions from you guys about the basics of sex. At Passnownow, we’re happy to help and inform you guys. But this is stuff that you should have learned in school – not that you had to Google to find out. With that being said, here are 6 things that are seriously wrong with Sex Education right now.

Too Many Parents Are Scared To Talk To Their Kids About It

Schools aren’t the only culprit here. Many parents are too nervous or scared to teach their kids about sex ed. I understand – parents don’t want to think about their kids are having sex, it’s an awkward topic, and they don’t want to bring it up. But they HAVE to. It’s so important for teenagers to not only get an education at school, but to also be able to have answers at home. Parents should support and help their children, especially with something like this.

Related Article: Myths and Realities About Teenage Pregnancy

It’s Starting Too Late

According to a new study, sex education, in most cases, is starting way too late. Researchers found that for sex ed to be most effective, it needs to be taught to students ages 10-14-years-old. Most schools teach it later than that.

There’s Not Enough Of It

If a school is required to teach sex ed, there usually isn’t enough of it. Besides, as brood as the concept of sex is, it’s not being taught as a subject – but rather as topics under other subjects. This is the case in many schools. In order for students to learn all of the important info that is out there, they need at least a full year of sex ed.

Related Article: Teenage pregnancy exposes girls to reproductive health risks, expert says

Some Schools Are Still Preaching Abstinence Alone

One of the worst things a school can do is teach with an abstinence only policy. Studies have proven that this method does not work at all – in fact, schools that preach abstinence only are usually schools with high rates of pregnancy because nobody knows what the eff they’re doing. I’m not saying abstinence is bad – it’s arguably the best choice. But teaching abstinence only means you don’t teach how to have safe sex. This means that students don’t learn about condoms, birth control, or anything else. Telling students not to have sex and expecting them to actually listen is absurd. Students should be taught what they need to know so that they can make an informed decision on their own.

Students Need To Learn More About Consent

A while ago, I was reading a thread on the internet about things that should be taught in sex ed classes, and a lot of people said there needed to be more about consent. It’s true! So many people unfortunately do not understand the laws of consent. Students don’t only need to be taught that “no means no…” they also need to be taught about statutory rape laws, age of consent in Nigeria, and what can happen if you ignore someone saying no.

You Don’t Learn About What Happens After Having Sex (Besides Pregnancy and STDs)

Schools teach students that once you have sex, two things could happen: you can get pregnant, or you can get an STD. But what about the other stuff that happens? Why don’t schools teach about bacterial infections? Or that girls have to pee after having sex because otherwise they can get a painful Urinary Tract Infections – UTI? That stuff is important to know also, and a lot of people don’t because they were never taught. Teaching this stuff isn’t encouraging students to have sex… it’s encouraging students to be safe if they choose to have sex.