For decades, sex education has been a polarizing issue, and its implementation often hotly debated by parents, schools, and communities. Recently, the release of the book Welcome to Sex, written by Yumi Stynes and Dr. Melissa Kang, has flared conversations around age-appropriate relationship and sexuality education. But resources like Welcome to Sex are important and informative tools for young people navigating sex and relationships.
Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) supports healthy sexual development
“Research has shown time and again that providing accurate information to young people about their bodies, sex, and relationships helps support safe, healthy relationships and prevents harm,” says Sheena Callaghan, our lead CSE educator.
Young people with resources and information about sex and relationships are more confident in expressing their needs, their concerns, and asking questions about their sexual health. A lack of education, however, can lead to misconceptions, misinformation, and potentially risky behaviors.
It’s important to provide young people space to openly discuss sexuality and relationships. It’s equally important to provide them with accurate information they can access in their own time. Providing age-appropriate educational resources, such as the Welcome to Sex book, which is intended for ages 10 and above, gives young people the ability to look up information when they feel ready, and with privacy.
CSE prevents harm
Critics often express concerns about the potential consequences of teaching CSE topics to young people, fearing that it may encourage sexual activity or expose them to inappropriately explicit content. However, contrary to this belief, research consistently shows that the opposite is true.
Providing clear, factual, and age-appropriate information enables understanding of relationships and sexual health and prevents harm. Like any topic, young people need to understand when sexual behaviour is appropriate and safe so they’re better able to understand when it’s not.
When left to find information on their own, most children and young adults will turn to the internet and pornography to learn about sex. This can often lead to incorrect, harmful, and unrealistic expectations for sex and relationships.
And when we don’t leave room to discuss relationships and sex, we can create feelings of shame, stigma, and isolation in young people. This can impact their confidence and ability to manage their sexual experiences in a healthy way.
Understanding age-appropriate behaviors
Childhood and adolescence are periods of discovery and exploration. Young people deserve the space to ask questions, learn, and grow. As adults, it is our responsibility to provide safe, healthy, and appropriate knowledge.
Resources like Welcome to Sex are a useful supplemental tool to provide young people with access to safe and accurate information outside of direct conversations and school-based learning. When we provide resources and learning to young people, we are equipping them with the knowledge to make healthy, safe and respectful choices in all aspects of their relationships and sexuality development.
Are you a professional caring for children and young adults? Our Traffic Lights® training helps professionals identify, understand, and respond to sexual behaviours in young people in an age and developmentally appropriate way. It helps professionals to provide continued support of healthy sexual development while also protecting children and young people from harm or abuse.
