Kids have always been curious about the human body and how it works. It follows that teachers鈥攖rusted adults trained in children鈥檚 development and understanding鈥攕hould be able to impart knowledge on the subject as necessary.
But not everyone agrees.
Educators who take on subjects like human anatomy and sex education, considered by some parents to be controversial, sometimes risk their jobs, albeit rarely. The risk was highlighted earlier this month when a few vocal parents forced the resignation of a Tallahassee, Fla., charter school principal after the school鈥檚 art teacher showed 6th graders an image of Michelangelo鈥檚 nude statue of David in a Renaissance art class. One parent even went so far as to call it pornographic.
Sex- and health-education experts weighed in on the incident, drawing some larger lessons about the effects of children鈥檚 exposure鈥攐r non-exposure鈥攖o the human body.
鈥楥hildren don鈥檛 stay in bubbles鈥�
Parents are the key shapers of children鈥檚 beliefs about religion and sex. But parents鈥� attempts to keep children innocent and shield them from anatomical information don鈥檛 only have the potential to endanger the jobs of their children鈥檚 educators. They also can make children dangerously vulnerable, explains one health expert. Plus, they鈥檙e unlikely to be effective, as online pornography and its particularly graphic and often violent images are increasingly accessible to people of all ages, including children.
鈥淲hen responsible people stay silent, children don鈥檛 stay in bubbles. They go online for this information,鈥� said Eva Goldfarb, a public health professor at Montclair State University and author of the 2021 report, 鈥�.鈥�
鈥淚 would much rather my children learn about their bodies, and the need to protect themselves, from trusted adults rather than the internet or other kids,鈥� she said.
Kids are accessing online pornography at record-high rates
As some adults worry about children鈥檚 exposure to human anatomy in a controlled school setting, recent research reveals alarming data about adolescents鈥� access to internet pornography. The average age when kids are first exposed to porn is 12, according to a 2023 national survey by More than half of teens surveyed reported viewing pornography by the age of 13, and 73 percent of teens ages 13 to 17 have watched pornography online.
Nearly a quarter of teenagers polled said they have viewed online pornography at school. A majority of teens surveyed who have viewed pornography reported being exposed to 鈥渁ggressive and/or violent forms of pornography.鈥�
The survey also found that 45 percent of the adolescents who viewed pornography agreed that they believe it gave them helpful information about sex.
suggests otherwise. Negative influences of pornography on adolescents and teens can include increased sexual aggression; mental health issues such as anxiety and depression; interpersonal relationship problems; and dangerous sexual behaviors.
How teaching sex education in school can protect children
鈥淚t鈥檚 so bizarre. We鈥檙e teaching children at young ages all parts of the body except their genitals,鈥� said Goldfarb. She pointed out that these omissions are also risky.
鈥淵oung children who are able to know the names of their genitals and can name their body parts appropriately are at much lower risk for sexual assault, exploitation, and much more likely to report it if they do encounter it,鈥� Goldfarb said. 鈥淏y keeping children ignorant, you are making them much bigger targets for being exploited or abused.鈥�
Despite protests like the recent incident in Tallahassee, Goldfarb said that the majority of parents widely support sex education and have for decades. Data gathered by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States support her assertion. In 2018, for instance, 89 percent of U.S. adults polled said they believe it is important to have sex education in middle school.
鈥淎sk parents what it鈥檚 like talking about sexual health, puberty, etcetera with their children, and they鈥檒l say it鈥檚 one of toughest things in parenting,鈥� Goldfarb said. 鈥淢ost parents are thrilled to have child development experts to partner with them to teach sex education.鈥�
