Sexuality Education & Therapy with Children

Full Article Title: School-Based Education to Address Pornography’s Influence on Young People: A Proposed Practice Framework

Open Access: No

Abstract

There is growing community and policy interest in educational efforts among children and young people to address pornography. Education on pornography increasingly is seen as a necessary strategy in the context of young people’s widespread exposure to pornography and the potential shifts in young people’s sexual and gendered lives and relations which this entails. What, then, does promising practice in education to address pornography’s influence look like? This article offers a framework for school-based pornography education. It begins with the rationale for conducting pornography education in schools in particular. The article then offers a detailed account of a proposed practice framework for school-based pornography education, emphasizing such principles as a whole-school approach, a robust conceptual approach, grounding in sexuality education, and participatory teaching and learning. It concludes by assessing an existing school curriculum resource, In The Picture, against this framework.

Relevance

An effective school-based program to address the effects of pornography should include, among other factors discussed by the article, the following elements: A whole-school approach (curriculum, teaching and learning; formal school policies and practices; school culture, ethos, and environment; and the relationships between school, home and the community); a robust conceptual approach (including a positive approach to sexuality, responsiveness to diversity, and evidence-based understanding of the impact of pornography on young people); based in sexuality education; builds student competencies (e.g., about relationships, decision-making, self-management, refusal skills); age-appropriate and sequential delivery; a safe, inclusive, supportive learning environment; sensitivity to inequalities of gender, sexuality and race/ethnicity; active engagement of parents as partners; and development of community partnerships.

Citation

Crabbe, M., & Flood, M. (2021). School-Based Education to Address Pornography’s Influence on Young People: A Proposed Practice Framework. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 16(1), 1-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2020.1856744