#42 - Jo Robertson - Let's Talk About Sex

Let's talk about sex.

Sex education has been a particularly divisive topic, yet hasn't really had the quality debate about what good sex education should look like.

I get it. People probably have very mixed experiences on how sex education was delivered to them by their schools or their parents. Some people feel squeamish about delivering sex education to their own kids and some are concerned about what is being taught in schools. There's so much confusion from parents, teachers and policymakers because there is such a huge variation in what schools can choose to teach.

However, sex education is something we need to get right.

While young people are having less sex than before, the research shows they are having more dangerous sex. They are less likely to use protection and more likely to engage in rough sex. Young people are also more likely to have been exposed to porn at a younger age, much of it rough and non-consensual. Could this be purely correlation or causation?

The stakes are high. It's the welfare of our children we are talking about. We must balance the urge to bubble wrap our children with the need to teach them skills to stay safe on their own. Because newsflash - you won't always be around to protect them.

Joining me on this podcast is Jo Robertson, experienced sex therapist, parenting expert and sex education teacher.