More Than Risk Reduction: A Critical Review of Youth Perspectives on Sex Education

Background and Purpose: Youth are indispensable stakeholders in sex education, yet limited attention is paid to young people’s perceptions of sex education, and its relevance and impact on their sexual lives. Scant research attention is given towards developing young people’s vision for sex education, and partnering with them to advocate for much needed change. Data documenting the attitudes and skills young people take away from their sex education experience, as well as identified gaps in their education, is an area of sex education research that must be filled. The purpose of this review is to critically review literature surrounding young people’s perceptions on the relevance, applicability, and efficacy of their sex education experiences, as well as their conceptualizations of what would make sex education better.

Methods: This paper is a critical review of 24 articles gathering youth’s own telling of their sex education experience, and opinions for future sex education practice. Inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed articles from the United States, Canada, Australia/New Zealand and the United Kingdom related to formalized sex education programs with participants between 12-16 years old who had prior or current experience in sex education. Articles hinging on adult perspectives (such as teachers, health professionals or parents) were excluded from review. Out of twenty-five, nineteen articles were qualitative, two were quantitative, and four were mixed methods.

Results: A major theme threaded throughout the majority of articles was young people viewed their experience of sex education as “unsatisfactory” due to content being outdated, insufficient, irrelevant, ineffective, and culturally incompetent, particularly for LGBTQIA+ youth, youth with physical disabilities, youth of color, and Muslim young people. Further, unsatisfactory sex education led to finding information regarding sex through other, more informal, channels such as the media, pornography, or peers. Youth in nearly all studies described basic anatomy and physiology (what the body looks like, how it functions, reproduction) and sexual health as foundational to sex education, including condom use, STI prevention, birth control and contraceptives. As previously discussed, sexual health materials should be relevant, inclusive, and culturally-responsive to students. Further, youth suggested a future of sex education that was youth-driven, based in reality, peer-facilitated, and begin in elementary school.

Conclusions and Implications: Sex education should be a useful and relevant class, yet multiple improvements to content and delivery must be made. The findings also highlight research gaps in this area. More research is needed into differences in youth experience of school-based and non-school based sex education settings. Secondly, more extensive research into how youth perspectives of peer-taught sex education varies from traditional models, in content, delivery, and outcomes. Third, a thorough review of youth insight on pleasure-centric/desire-based curricula vs. risk reduction approach could highlight significant implications for the future of sex education practice, and research. Youth voice should be at the forefront of research which involves and impacts their lives. Additionally, this research can abet deconstructing the restrictive conceptualizations of adolescent sexuality by showcasing the diverse reality of sex and sexuality young people navigate.