Sex education for children: Why parents should talk to their kids about sex.

If parents do not teach their children about sex and sexuality, then they will learn about it from
somewhere else, and an opportunity to instill family values may be missed.

Key points
 A good strategy is to start talking to your child about sex when they are young and continue
that conversation as they get older.
 A child is exposed to information about sex from sources such as school, friends and the
media at a much earlier age than many parents expect.
 Parents should not rely on the school system to teach sex education. If your child is taught sex
education at school, ask them what they learned and review it with them.
 Sex education does not lead to promiscuity.

Studies show the more children are exposed to sexual images in the media, the more likely it is they will
engage in sexual behaviours at a younger age. However, actual sex education does NOT lead to
promiscuity. Children who receive sex education at home are actually less likely to engage in risky sexual
activity.

Having open communications with children about sex and other matters is healthy and safer in the long
run. This does not necessarily mean it will be easy or without awkward moments. Teens are still very
private people. However, speaking about sex early increases the chance that teens will approach
parents when difficult or dangerous things come up.

Terjemahan:

Studi menunjukkan semakin banyak anak-anak terpapar gambar seksual di media, semakin besar
kemungkinan mereka akan terlibat dalam perilaku seksual di usia yang lebih muda. Namun, pendidikan
seks yang sebenarnya TIDAK mengarah pada pergaulan bebas. Anak-anak yang menerima pendidikan
seks di rumah sebenarnya lebih kecil kemungkinannya untuk melakukan aktivitas seksual yang berisiko.

Memiliki komunikasi terbuka dengan anak-anak tentang seks dan hal-hal lain adalah sehat dan lebih
aman dalam jangka panjang. Ini tidak selalu berarti akan mudah atau tanpa momen canggung. Remaja
masih orang yang sangat pribadi. Namun, berbicara tentang seks sejak dini meningkatkan kemungkinan
remaja akan mendekati orang tua ketika hal-hal sulit atau berbahaya muncul.