The Importance of Sex Education

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Recommended: Mandatory sexual education in high schools

When are children first exposed to sex? It is hard to control what a child is exposed to with the growing trend of sexual imagery in advertising, television, movies, and in the general public. An article, Children Learn Best by Observing Behavior of Adults, written by Jodie Michalak states “While children will always have their own personality and emotions, they are constantly influenced by their environment” (2013). What and how children learn is a very significant part of how healthy our society will be in the future. School has been an integral part of a child’s progression into adulthood since the 17th century. Schools carefully build the curriculum that is proper for a child’s age group. The educational system adapts to societal changes and applies the necessary criteria to the curriculum. Sexual connotations being prevalent in society these days is bringing up the question about the importance of sex education classes in schools. Sex education is a necessary part of the information provided to our children and adolescents in public schools. Schools should require sexual education because there is a chance that children may not be getting educated by their parents about sex, they may not know how to approach their parents on questions regarding sex, and with the rising rate of younger kids having sex it is imperative for them to be taught about STD’s and pregnancy. On the latter, some would argue that sex education being taught in school could lead children to a higher interest and curiosity in sex, the worry that teachers would take a non-personal approach to teaching such personal subject matter, and that some children may not be mature enough to handle the adult content of the course.

When and how a child learns about sex...

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...s About Teens and STIs, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013
Lowen, Linda, 10 Teen Pregnancy Facts- Rates and Statistics in the U.S., Guttmacher Institute. 2006. Web. 20 Nov. 2013
Mai, Doan. "Sex Ed The City! Oakland Youth Advocate For Comprehensive Sex Education." Women's Health Activist 38.4 (2013): 1-4. CINAHL Complete. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
Michalak, Jodie, Children Learn Best by Observing Behavior of Adults, Love to Know Corp, 2013. Web. 20, Nov. 2013
Park, Alice, Parents’ Sex Talk with Kids: Too Little, Too Late, Time Health and Family, 2009. Web. 20, Nov. 2013
State Policies on Sex Education in Schools, StateNet, 2013. Web. 20. Nov. 2013
Weldon T. Sex and the New Media. State News (Council Of State Governments) [serial online]. August 2009;52(7):17. Available from: MasterFILE Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 22, 2013.

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