Education System Destroying Teens: When Did Porn Become Sex Ed?

How the education system is failing teens: When did porn become sex ed? The United States education system is not properly educating teens on sex because of the way they push an abstinence only agenda leading kids to dig through the internet for education, not understand consent, unknowingly be part of an outdated sexist culture, and to not have confident and comfortable relationships. Sex education has always been minimal in American and as it becomes more prevalent in society and media, educating young easily influenced teens needs to be too. Sex ed needs to dig deeper than abstinence only, kids need to learn how to be safe and be comfortable. They need to learn it is normal and a part of life and that being ashamed of your body and holding

Teens are at an awkward time in their life and take this as exposure as influence. Between the hormones, changes, and influences many are not sure what is going on or what sex is or what any concepts of sex are. A lot of young adults are taught to “wait until marriage” and that “abstinence is the way” leaving false impressions in their mind. For the ones who don’t buy into that sort of preaching from schools themselves the only other place to go is the internet. In America schools are shorting their kids, “Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fewer than half of high schools and only a fifth of middle schools teach all 16 components the agency recommends as essential to sex education. Only 23 states mandate sex ed at all; 13 require it to be medically accurate” (Orenstein). These numbers are appalling and pathetic. All 50 states need to be educating kids on sex and

Proper education too, more so than just the labeling. Functions and explanations need to be required as well. Descriptions of how it is okay to be active and to promote safety. Also the promotion of confidence in sexuality and lifestyle. It is not just cut and dry, here is this and this is this. There needs to be depths, there is so much more to sex than labeling parts and briefly discussing a condom. In addition, girls need equal education and to be taught that their sexuality and sexual personalities are just as okay as boys’. This is an ongoing problem and many have to the consensus that, “We also need to talk about gender in sex education because part of the problem is in the gender script: boys and men are repeatedly given messages that they are always supposed to want sex and girls and women are never supposed to be interested in sex,” (Buttenwieser). Women should not be shamed for doing the same thing boys have been doing forever, they should not be shamed for their sexuality. Sex needs to be fair and is not exclusive to one side. The more people are taught to feel comfortable and confident in their bodies the more well off they will be. The more well off people will be the better experiences they will have in sex, sexual relationships, and adult relationships. Even personally exploring and developing and learning what they are into is crucial and they should be allowed to do so without fear of backlash or disapproval.