Barnardo’s Cymru made the call after a new survey which found that young people said they wanted more advice on staying safe, particularly online.
The charity carried out a survey among 11 to 15-year-olds in Wales which showed that 74 per cent of those questioned believe they would be safer if they had age-appropriate lessons in school.
Barnardo’s Cymru said it believed that schools need “to do more to protect young people from the dangers of online grooming and exploitation in an increasingly complicated digital world”.
“We are urging the Welsh government to introduce compulsory, age-appropriate sex and relationship education in schools, including safe use of digital media,” said Sarah Crawley, director of Barnardo’s Cymru.
“It’s time to listen to children themselves who are telling us they lack confidence in staying safe online and are saying they need help in understanding the risks and avoiding danger.”
She said the charity wanted the Welsh government to include compulsory sex and relationships education (SRE) in the curriculum, which is currently being updated.
The Welsh government stopped short of doing so in 2014 when similar calls were made by charities during the progress of the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015.
The Welsh government commissioned Barnardo’s Cymru to provide an educational resource and teacher training sessions on the risks of hidden child sexual exploitation but the charity now believes it is time to go further.
Its survey questioned 1,200 children and teenagers across the UK, of whom 96 per cent said it was important for them to understand the dangers of being online and 94 per cent wanted to know the risks of sharing images of themselves with a stranger online.
The charity highlighted concerns about online grooming and worries from girls about strangers contacting them online.
A Welsh government spokesman said: “We recognise the critical importance of safeguarding children and young people online and have an extensive online education and awareness programme across Wales. This allows schools to access online resources and classroom materials to support learners to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly online.
“Sex and relationships education is a part of the curriculum in Wales. We expect young people in Wales to receive age appropriate sex and relationships education and our Sex and Relationships Education in Schools Guidance provides advice about the teaching of all aspects of relationships, sexual health and wellbeing issues.”
He added: “Ensuring children and young people are healthy and confident will also be at the heart of our new curriculum, with health and wellbeing becoming one of the six Areas of Learning and Experience from 2021.”