Let’s Talk About Sex, Or Not

— Ariana González, Editor-in-Chief

Sexual education is one of those topics which, no matter how far society progresses when it comes to keeping an openmind, still remains taboo. With a large portion of the American population, including North Dakota, receiving abstinence-only sexual education, it is really no surprise that many teens turn to pornography as means to educate themselves.

Schools should provide accessible and inclusive sexual education for everyone regarding medically accurate anatomy, effective methods of contraception, consent, and sexual boundaries. These skills can help prepare teens for adulthood and have respectful relationships with healthy boundaries by improving teens’ communication and decision-making skills.

It is important for teens to have the proper social and emotional skills needed to have healthy sex lives. Abstinenceonly sexual education does not stop teens from partaking in sex, instead, it turns sex into a danger with life-long consequences.

Teens who rely on pornography as educational content often fail to realize that most of the time the content is acting and not realistic at all. Many studies have been done to demonstrate the effects of excessive pornography usage in the brain, one of which is misinformation and unrealistic expectations due to its fantasylike nature.

Learning about sex through pornography has been the subject of a variety of studies, many of which have found incredibly negative consequences of this method of sexual education many teens partake in. Often, pornographic scenarios depict hostile and aggressive behavior, as well as borderline unconsensual sexual activity. A 2021 study done on six European countries found a link between pornography exposure in teen males and aggressive behavior.

The internet has proved to be a very educational tool time and time again, but it can also serve as a way for dangerous misinformation to be spread. Pornography often depicts unrealistic depictions of how sex works and often leaves out important conversations regarding consent.

People who depend on resources like pornography for sexual education miss out on vital knowledge that could be covered in a health class with effective and accurate sexual education. According to cultureframed.org, US youth are more likely to seek out pornography as a source on sexual information, with 25% of people aged 18-24 claiming that helpful information most likely came from pornography.

Having the expectation that all students will remain abstinent is unrealistic, and abstinence-only sexual education makes these students to be more at risk of unwanted pregnancies and STIs. If having conversations regarding sex were to happen effectively within a school setting, it could help students feel more educated about sex and reduce these risks.