News

Relationships and sex education: Young people turning to social media for information

The quality of relationships and sex education is improving but inconsistent delivery of key topics is driving many young people onto social media in their search for information.
Image: Adobe Stock

The annual Young People’s RSE Poll finds that the quality of provision in schools has improved but many young people are still not learning about key issues.

Published by the Sex Education Forum, the report is based on survey responses from more than 1,000 students in England aged 16 and 17 and asks them about their experience of RSE during their schooling.

The results show that 50% of the respondents said that their RSE at school was “good” or “very good” – the highest proportion yet in this research.

Broken down by issue, a majority of the respondents reported good coverage of topics including puberty (79%), sexual consent (71%), sexual harassment (64%), STIs (62%), and sexual orientation (57%).

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here