where are kids getting their sex-ed?

sex-ed curriculum offered in schools is routinely labelled as being outdated and just scratching the surface in terms of the information that's needed, leaving teens turning to social media for answers.

by emma jones

published feb 15, 2023

last updated feb 16, 2023

4 minute read

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young canadians are increasingly turning to social media to get answers to their sexual and reproductive health questions, say advocacy groups. sixty-two per cent of canadians aged 18 to 24 said they search for information online about “sexual and reproductive health, sexuality, sexual orientation and gender identity,” according to a national survey by letsstopaids. twenty-one per cent of respondents specifically turn to social media.

for shamin mohamed jr., founder and president of letsstopaids, young canadians turning to online sources isn’t surprising as they can answer a diverse range of questions — nuanced information that is relevant to the experiences young canadians are having.

“as young people, we are very diverse, we have many opinions and we want to also feel comfortable when it’s the right moment to bring forward those questions,” he says.

tk pritchard, executive director of the shore centre, also explains that online sources will dive into the details of different identities that a school’s sex-ed curriculum does not, delivering more impactful, relevant information to these teens.

“you also can see a lot of really great social media conversation that is talking about inclusive sexual health, which people may not be getting in their schools,” says pritchard. “you see a lot of content online particularly talking about queer folks and really trying to provide more context for sexual education from a queer lens.

“those pieces can … really provide a sense of belonging and really allow people to get the information that they need.”

asking an online algorithm an awkward question may also feel more accessible to young canadians who aren’t sure what questions they want answered. pritchard encourages students to use posts they see on social media as a conversation-opener with a trusted adult, which may be easier than striking up a conversation on their own. the same can be said for parents and educators, who may want to bring up an important topic but are unsure of where to start — post and articles online may be an opportunity.

students filling in the gaps of institutional sexual education

“we’ve always had a health sexual health gap in canada,” says mohamed. “the discussion about sexual health has never been consistent, province by province … some of our provinces focus more on abstinence where others focus on safer sex and prevention methods.”

provincial and territorial governments in canada are responsible for setting out the sexual education curriculum for their students, leading to discrepancies in what and how information is delivered. support for educators presenting this information to their students also varies across school boards, affecting how prepared the teachers are to confidently introduce their students to difficult topics.

is social media a good resource for sexual education? getty

in 2015, after repealing the new elementary curriculum introduced in 2015, the government of ontario set up a hotline constituents could use to report elementary-school teachers who were deviating from the 1998 sex-ed curriculum — a curriculum that did not contain information on topics like sexting and social media. the elementary teachers federation of ontario argued this “snitch line” created a chilling effect on teachers and classrooms, making teachers fearful of having deeper conversations with their students. (the ontario sex-ed curriculum was updated in 2019 and remained similar to the repealed 2015 update.)

the result means students are left with more questions than answers on critical issues that affect their sexuality and reproductive health. the amount of time dedicated to sexual health education is also low for many school boards, giving students little time to become comfortable with the subject matter and formulate their questions.

“when we’re going in to teach sexual health in schools, it’s often the one hour of sexual health education those kids get the entire year,” says pritchard. “that’s just not enough to really cover all of the nuance within the topic and really give all of the kids the information that they actually need.”

verifying the information online

while conversations and posts on social media can help fill in the gaps, the downside is that the onus is on the user to verify these posts against information provided by other verified accounts. standard online safety tips also become more important than ever: never giving out personal details like their school or address, beware of strangers selling products, and connecting with an adult to answer any questions that may arise.

“we really want young people to be critical of the information that we’re receiving, no matter what method that comes to them — whether that’s online, what they’re learning in school, what they’re learning from their peers, and really think about whether or not that information is true,” says pritchard.

organizations like saskatoon sexual health, planned parenthood toronto and letsstopaids are active on instagram and tiktok, explains mohamed, and can be a convenient resource to verify information offered by other users. and if a student wants to connect with professionals to have a deeper conversation, these — and many other — organizations are also available to do in-school workshops that can help students navigate both sexual health and staying safe online.

“i encourage any young person that sees this, that if you feel that your school does not have enough discussion about sexual health to just reach out to us or any local sexual health organization and say, ‘hey, can you come to our school? can you be involved in some way?’” says mohamed. “whether that’s just dropping off postcards or full out doing a workshop.”

emma jones is a multimedia editor with healthing. you can reach her at emjones@postmedia.com or on instagram and twitter @jonesyjourn.

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