Children and adolescents should receive age-appropriate and evidence-based education about sex and sexuality from schools, parents, professionals and paediatricians, American Academy of Pediatrics recommends.
Sexuality education has been proven to prevent and reduce risks of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Sexual education based on abstinence has also been shown to increase the risk of sexually transmitted infections on adolescents.
The subject is still hushed about in the US according to the group as about one in three adolescents do not receive any information on sexuality from paediatricians and when the subject comes up between doctors and children, the conversation lasts less than 40 seconds on average.
Not only do kids have sex when you have an abstinence-only curriculum, they get pregnant more than those who have a comprehensive sexual education.- Dr Cora Breuner
"Which means two-thirds of the time it's not discussed at all, and when it is discussed it's such a brief time," said Cora Breuner, chairperson of the AAP's Committee on Adolescence.
Breuner urged children and adolescents to have an open discussion with their parents, paediatricians or healthcare providers in schools.
"If we don't bring it up in a calm and open environment, they are going to turn elsewhere," said Breuner.
AAP’s report, first on the topic since 2001, defines sexual education as "teaching about human sexuality, including intimate relationships, human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexually transmitted infections, sexual activity, sexual orientation, gender identity, abstinence, contraception and reproductive rights and responsibilities." The report was published online July 18 in Pediatrics.
According to the report, parents and caregivers should be the primary sexuality educators of their children. However, the lack of knowledge, skills or comfort may impede them on fulfilling that role, which is why sex education is needed also in schools and healthcare professionals.
When giving sexual education, people should ask kids if they have questions or concerns, be respectful, listen and let the youth guide the conversation, Breuner said. The education should be held using methods backed by research, she emphasized.
"You need to be a resource for [the kids], as well as your pediatrician and school," said Breuner.
The report also says that while abstinence is 100 percent effective, promoting abstinence-only until heterosexual marriage occurs is ineffective.
"Not only do kids have sex when you have an abstinence-only curriculum, they get pregnant more than those who have a comprehensive sexual education," said Breuner.
She said youngsters who get abstinence-only education tend to get more sexually transmitted infections, too.