What shapes sexual awareness and behaviour?

It's time to wake up and take sexual wellbeing seriously !

Peddling fairy stories or leaving kids to discover sex for themselves doesn't cut it any more.

Boys are coercing young girls into sexual activity that they have picked up from Internet porn. Pressure is real and it requires confidence to reject it - being chosen by a popular boy can boost a young girl's ego - elevated status and confirmed attractiveness, all meaningless later ... and regretted. 

Of course, this couldn't happen on your watch.  Oh really? Are you sure? 

The Internet, social media and TV operate 24/7.  They have a huge impact on sexual expectations and behaviours.  The material isn't meant to represent normality or be healthy.  Respect isn't in the script.

The Internet is awash with porn.  It’s free, uncontrolled and accessed with a single click.  

Anyone can post or access uncensored photos and videos.  Young people are increasingly

learning their sexual behaviour from porn. 

*Challenging porn isn't prudish - a naked body is beautiful and natural, as is having sex, but porn is degrading. 

Porn portrays and promotes sexual acts, attitudes and behaviours that are sometimes barely legal.  

Smart phones are used for sexting and cyber-bullying.

Magazines set expectations of body image.

TV programs promote gratuitous sex and unrealistic sexual freedom.

All of this affects us, particularly young people who are working out where and how they fit in society. We can't ignore it and we can't afford to sweep it aside as if it isn't there.  

Controlling content on a PC is almost futile as porn can be sent, by anyone, to any smart phone.  Young girls are receiving explicit photos and being asked for photos of themselves in return.  Others suffer eating disorders, perhaps because of the relentless promotion of skeletal models in magazines.  Young men's expectations are shaped by porn; pubic hair is considered unacceptable on a young woman. 

This is normality for young people and it generates pressure and conflict.

Our books examine all of the above, and provide a balanced perspective versus the mass of uncontrolled material out there.

Armed with realistic perspectives and information, young people will have the confidence to say "No", mean it, demand respect and protect their sexual health.

(If you feel the part about the Internet is over-dramatic, type “naked female” or “naked male” into your search engine.  Be prepared to be surprised, or shocked … and that first click opens the door to an endless stream of uncontrolled images and videos.  That's what is informing young people's sexual expectations and behaviour. )