A New Tool to Support Porn-Critical Sex Education
Many young people today do not receive the sex education they need despite research showing that comprehensive, developmentally-appropriate sex education results in fewer unplanned pregnancies and better overall health outcomes for young people. According to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, about half of American teenagers do not receive sex education that meets national goals.
In the U.S., sex education standards vary by state, with some states not requiring it in schools at all. As of June 2022, 28 states and Washington, D.C. have mandated it, according to Guttmacher Institute data. Of those states, only 17 require the content to be “medically accurate,” and fewer than half of high schools teach all 20 topics recommended by the CDC as essential components. This includes everything from basic information about sexually transmitted infections to critical communication and decision-making skills.
Furthermore, Washington, California, and Oregon are the only three states in the country that require schools to teach age-appropriate, comprehensive sex education. It covers sexuality, human development, sexual orientation and gender, bodily autonomy, and consent, as well as relationship skills and media literacy.
The introduction of compulsory sex education in the UK in 2020 – which includes learning related to pornography or ‘sexual material’ — has led to a significant increase in the number of organizations developing and delivering sex education curriculum packages for schools.
Concerns have been raised in the UK by parents and caregivers, professionals, legislators, and grass-root organizations regarding the often positive or neutral approach to the subject of pornography that is put forward in these resources, rather than supporting young people to know and understand the implications for individuals, relationships, and society.
Without sex education, young people will learn from the resources that are available to them: especially pornography — a source that does not provide them with accurate or helpful information. “Young people have a natural curiosity about relationships and sex, and they deserve the opportunity to explore a range of ideas, think critically, and access accurate information that is key to their healthy development,” said Dr. Amanda Sanchez, Culture Reframed’s Program Coordinator. “We need safe, trusted, qualified professionals to teach comprehensive sex education.”
To address this need and the lack of comprehensive, developmentally appropriate sex education in schools across the U.S., Culture Reframed consulted with specialists to develop a porn-critical sex education curriculum. “Given the ubiquity of porn in the lives of young people, teaching porn-critical sex and relationship education is the only way to teach sex education today,” said Culture Reframed Founder & President Dr. Gail Dines.
Porn-Critical Sex Education
Culture Reframed’s curriculum is designed for educators, facilitators, youth workers, and others who are in a position to incorporate sex education into their work with young people, specifically those 13 and older. The curriculum is free to access and fully customizable, inviting teachers to adapt the lessons, sessions, and resources to reflect the diverse nature of their individual group of learners to ensure age and developmental appropriateness. With downloadable lesson plans and PowerPoint presentations, it is user-friendly and full of relevant media examples, links, and resources to support teachers and learners alike.
What sets Culture Reframed’s sex education curriculum apart from other curricula on the topic is that it is porn-critical. “It challenges what porn teaches young people about the body and sexual behavior,” said Dr. Sanchez. “It does not normalize or minimize the known harms, but rather, tackles in a straight-forward, honest way the impact pornography has on the social, emotional, cognitive, and sexual development of kids.”
High-quality sex education plays a major role in the personal success of young people. “The ultimate goal of this curriculum is to foster a society free from exploitation — one that supports healthy self-esteem, body confidence, and safe, loving relationships between individuals who understand that everyone has value,” said Dr. Sanchez.
To help teachers better understand pornography and its effects, the curriculum includes training modules with resources and insights from various critical perspectives. Today’s sex education generally ignores the reality that most young people are exposed to pornography and that their attitudes and behaviors are shaped by the messages in porn. “There is a paucity of sex education resources and an even greater one in terms of resources that directly address the harms of pornography,” said Dr. Dines. “We recognize that porn is having a profound influence on young people’s lives.”
Studies show that early access to pornography — the average age of first exposure is between 9 and 11 — shapes how they think about sex and relationships, including respectful behavior, consent, equality, and their understanding of the body and biological processes. “By contextualizing pornography through the theme of exploitation and providing comprehensive sex and relationship education through a porn-critical lens, we aim to provide young people with a counter-narrative to porn,” said Dr. Dines.
Culture Reframed’s Curriculum
The free curriculum includes lessons on Anti-Exploitation Education, Sex and Relationship Education, Digital Literacy, and Pornography. Said Dr. Sanchez, “It is essential to begin by contextualizing the topic of pornography through the theme of exploitation, supporting young people to understand porn as a product that is distinct from loving, healthy, and safe sex.”
The anti-exploitation framework allows young people to contrast healthy relationships and accurate information about the body with the misinformation propagated by the porn industry. It also helps them to critically examine the ways the industry exploits them. “The curriculum alerts young people to how their natural curiosities about sex are corrupted and hijacked, leaving them robbed of their right to be the authors of their sexuality,” said Dr. Sanchez.
In our media-saturated world, children and young people grow up bombarded with images and messages regarding sex, violence, and relationships. The Sex and Relationship Education lessons move through discussions about bodies, healthy aspects of relationships, equality, and consent, inviting learners to think critically about how and where they learn information, the nature of the sources of information, and the credibility and accuracy of the information. Learners can then look back and think critically about how pornography contributes to their understanding of these topics.
The Digital Media Literacy sessions invite learners to think critically about their media use and develop skills for media literacy and healthy media practices.
Because this curriculum is a holistic program, the pieces collectively provide a critical analysis of pornography. Every aspect of the curriculum encourages learners to utilize an anti-exploitation framework with a porn-critical lens and to develop authentic, healthy, safe, and rewarding relationships.
