Teaching young people about sex is too important to be wrong. Here are 5 videos that hit the nail on the head – the conversation en
Two videos were pulled this week from the Australian government recently published sex education resource for schools.
The government published the Good Society resource in mid-April, which includes over 350 materials including videos, digital stories and podcasts to teach respectful relationships in schools. The two videos that were deleted had been widely criticized by politicians, sex educators and support groups for sexual assault for missing the target on sex education.
One clip, showing a couple on a movie set that looks like a retro restaurant, aims to teach consent through the metaphor of a milkshake. After a young man rejects a young woman’s milkshake, she smears the milkshake on his face saying the phrase “Drink it all!”
The scene is followed by somewhat confusing diagrams of a soccer field with a voiceover explaining ideas about shared decision making.
I am a visual culture researcher interested in how information about sexuality and relationships can be effectively communicated to young people. I have compiled several examples of sex education videos that better meet the needs of young people.
What works in sex education?
The milkshake metaphor in the Good Society video is confusing as it is meant to teach sexual consent, but never mentions sex. Neither does it explain what the metaphor represents.
Young people already see an explicit and distorted portrayal of sex in pornography. Usually boys start to watch around the age of 13 and girls around 16. It therefore seems outdated to produce sex education resources that do not directly talk about sex.
Research shows that plain language is best for teaching young people about sexuality and relationships.
The Good Society resource attempts to use humor to engage audiences. Studies show humor can be an effective strategy in public health campaigns. However, sustainable behavior change is based on easily understood messages, a feeling that the information is personally relevant to the target audience and a sense of self-efficacy (the individual knowing how to act on the information he sees).
Read more: Not only are some of the government consent videos weird and confusing, but many reinforce damaging gender stereotypes
Because the Good Society resource was confusing, the humor was also confusing. And the video failed to create a clear sense of personal relevance and self-efficacy.
Here are some videos that work best.
Australia – rhinos and astronauts
The Practical Guide to Love, Sex and Relationships was developed by expert sex education researchers at the Australian Center for Sex, Health and Society Research (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University.
The resource includes a series of humorous yet straightforward animated videos dealing with sex, pornography, relationships, consent and gender.
A video for grade 9 and 10 students illustrates sexual desire and consent using a couple of astronauts and then a couple of pirates.
While these depictions may seem as confusing as the milkshake metaphor, the metaphors in these videos are clearly explained. And the use of familiar language gives a sense of relevance. The narrators of the videos speak directly to young people:
“You’re 14, 15, 16… there’s a lot of bullshit going on,†says one narrator.
“It looks like electricity,” says a narrator when lightning bolts are fired at a boy’s head.
“It’s a metaphor for all the shit that’s going on,†the narrator replies.
The designs are informal and engaging, unlike the soccer field diagrams used in The Good Society resource.
The video ends with a series of questions teens can ask themselves to assess whether they feel comfortable in a situation. Clear advice helps create a sense of self-efficacy.
Read more: Not as simple as “no means noâ€: what young people need to know about consent
Another video, with the same two narrators, discusses the stereotypes that women and men face. He uses a rhino as a metaphor for sexual desire, with a man and a woman at the top.
The male voice says, “I’m the guy I’m supposed to be” oh yeah, can’t wait to put his pants on. “”
Then the female voice said, “And I’m the girl, I’m supposed to be ‘umm, I don’t know, ummm, I’m not sure umm…'”
Explicit caricature of Sweden
Scandinavia is known for leading the way in progressive sex education. The low rates of teenage pregnancy in the Scandinavian countries (Norway and the Netherlands have some of the lowest teenage rates in the world and that of Sweden is about a quarter of that of Great Britain) are regularly presented as evidence of its effectiveness .
In Sweden, a animation video produced by the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education follows four teenagers receiving an unexpected lesson from a substitute teacher.
As they ask the teacher questions, many topics are covered, from the appearance of genitals to respect in relationships and STDs.
Screenshot of the Sex on the Map video
The animation includes a scene where two of the students try to have sex, but grope with condoms and nerves. The scene looks very real and would be relevant to the experience of many teens.
Gay and lesbian storylines are built into the narrative, making it relevant to a diverse audience. The fact that the story is animated allows for more explanation, without going into the realm of pornography.
The video has an age limit but can be seen on youtube.
New Zealand pornstars
Although not part of a school education program, the New Zealand government campaign, Keep it real online, aims to help parents navigate digital security. A video shown on television is a good example of how humor can be used effectively to tackle sensitive topics.
In the clip, two pornstars visit a mother, saying her son is watching them on every device possible. What makes the video great is its ability to be funny and engaging. And at the same time, it allows the viewer to identify with the shocked boy, who is told pornstars would never act like this in real life, and the mother, who realizes that he is. time to have a frank conversation with her son about sex. .
Read more: Sex education can thwart what children learn from pornography, but some teachers fear backlash when discussing ‘risky’ topics
The humor is disarming, but the lesson is clear: porn is scripted and performed by actors, and shouldn’t be seen as real life.
And then there is the cup of tea
And finally, there’s the well-known video that explains consent through the metaphor of offering someone a cup of tea. Again, he clearly identifies the metaphor at the start and goes through the idea of ​​asking someone for sex, but instead replacing sex with tea. If you ask someone if they want a cup of tea and they are not sure if they want it, then the video is for you.
you can make them a cup of tea or not, but be aware that they might not drink it, and if they don’t drink it then – and this is the important part – don’t make them drink it.
It is crucial that we provide good sex education for adolescents who not only have to navigate sexuality and relationships, but also deal with the proliferation of pornography and technology.
If we are to teach teens about sexual consent, we will have to talk about sex and not milkshakes.
Read more: Young people crave a good sex education. I have found a program in Mexico that works well
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