Why do teenagers need reliable sexual education - knowledge of their physiology or knowledge of contraceptive methods? If only to distinguish between correct erotic and pathological behavior. And this is very bad, because our children "learn" to live on the Internet. Find out what your child knows about sex.
Back then, little attention was paid tosex education . The current reality, in which the issues of psychosexual development are downplayed, and easy access to all kinds of erotic and pornographic content can cause teenagers to develop a deformed, crippled vision of sexuality. Constant contact with the media may perpetuate incorrect and risky patterns of sexual behavior in young people, and this is a real danger to their mental and sexual he alth. So they need knowledge about sexuality.
Who should pass it on? Parents do it reluctantly, because most often they cannot honestly talk to their children about intimate matters and generally lack knowledge in this area. It would seem that the problem of sex education should be solved by introducing the optional subject "Education for family life" into schools. Its program includes topics related to knowledge about human sexual life, the principles of conscious and responsible parenthood, methods and means of conscious procreation.
However, these kinds of issues are only part of the curriculum. Most of the classes are devoted to topics unrelated to sexuality, such as applicable moral principles, ethical values or building relationships with the family. Lessons are conducted by pedagogues, teachers of other subjects, catechists and clergy. However, these people do not always pass on reliable knowledge, often because they lack adequate preparation for it.
It also happens that "controversial" topics (eg sexual behavior, birth control methods) are characterized by a worldview. Consequently, teenagers learn that emergency contraception is the same as the abortion pill, that masturbation is bad for their he alth, and that the condom does not protect against HIV. In such lessons, there is usually no atmosphere of honesty and trust, and young people do not always receive answers to the questions asked.Often, students are not interested in such activities because they feel embarrassed to discuss sex with their teacher. Thus, the results of sex education conducted by unprepared persons are poor.
The fastest source of knowledge about sex - the Internet
Teenagers who feel unsatisfied with knowledge about sex most often look for it on the Internet. However, they find there not only erroneous information, but also pornographic materials that teach them an instrumental approach to interpersonal relationships and sex. They convey patterns of erotic behavior to young people, detached from emotions and feelings.
The problem arises when young people repeat such patterns. The fact that this is already happening is evidenced by theerotic gamespopular among middle school students, such as "wake up" or "sunshine" (girls lie in a circle, and boys change their partners every now and then), which adults are shocked.
It's sad that for some kids it's just a game in which they don't see anything inappropriate. They also see nothing wrong withsexting , which is sending their naked photos electronically. However, they are not aware of the consequences of doing so. These types of materials are sometimes made available to the public by the person who received them, and hence it is a very short road to drama. Some kids, however, consciously post their naked photos on the internet to appear in the environment, and sometimes even trade their photos. Only well-conducted sexuality education can correct such behavior.
Who is the sex educator?
Not only sexologists, psychologists, gynecologists, but also teachers are aware of the problem of insufficient knowledge of young people about sexuality. In general, they are therefore sympathetic to sexuality education classes run by qualified educators who impart knowledge about sexuality based on the results of reliable and ethical research.
Educators offer various thematic blocks, such as contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual norms, sexual assertiveness, prevention of sexual violence. After consulting with students, schools choose some of them or decide to implement the whole thing. The curriculum is adapted to the age of the children. It is approved by a representative of the PNA and consulted with the school.
Learning to put a condom on a phantom does not take place behind teachers' backs, and sex education classes are always under their control. Teenagers are very interested in them, but parents do not always consent to their children participating in them. The reason is sometimes the worldview ordistrust of people outside of school and fear that such activities may result in premature sexual initiation. Meanwhile, it is the lack of knowledge that causes reckless behavior.
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