Title: Massachusetts Takes a Progressive Approach to Sex Education, Addressing Modern Challenges
Introduction:
In June 2023, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts unveiled its draft framework for sex education in elementary, middle, and high schools. This is the first update in 24 years, addressing the changing landscape of society and technology. The new guidelines, part of a comprehensive health framework, offer substantial improvements over the previous version by addressing the well-being of gender and sexual minority populations. While sex education policies vary across US states, Massachusetts is taking a progressive step forward. However, it is important to acknowledge the challenges young people face when seeking information about sex, as they often turn to online pornography instead of reliable sources.
The State of Sex Education in the United States:
Sex education in the United States is inconsistent and inadequate. Only 38 states and the District of Columbia mandate any form of sex education, leaving many young people without proper guidance. Racial disparities also exist, with Black and Hispanic teens receiving less education on preventing sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and access to birth control. The lack of comprehensive sex education leaves adolescents to seek information elsewhere.
The Role of Pornography:
In the absence of comprehensive sex education, many teenagers and young adults resort to online pornography for information on sex. However, pornography is not designed to provide accurate or reliable medical information. It focuses on entertainment rather than education. A national study revealed that young adults in the United States are more likely to rely on pornography for sexual information than their friends, parents, or healthcare providers.
Massachusetts’ Approach to Sex Education:
Although Massachusetts does not mandate sex education, state law requires all public schools to provide health education. The new framework acknowledges the challenges young people face, including the prevalence of pornography, and addresses critical sex education topics for the modern world. For example, it emphasizes understanding laws related to digital sexual images and consent. It also teaches strategies to identify grooming and possible commercial sexual exploitation.
Advancements in Sex Education Materials:
A research team in Massachusetts has developed an online sex education module that engages students through interactive games. This evidence-based approach reflects the best available research and feedback received from young people. The module covers topics such as contraception methods, the impact of pornography on expectations, and relationship problem-solving. Initial testing has shown positive outcomes, including increased condom use and reduced experiences of partner abuse.
Analyzing the Massachusetts Framework:
Massachusetts’ new framework has several strengths. It is evidence-based, ensuring recommendations align with the latest research. The guidance is also developmentally and age-appropriate, considering various perspectives and cultural differences. Aspects like critical thinking, reasoning, decision making, and problem-solving are encouraged, empowering young people to make informed choices about their sexual health.
Strengthening Guidance on Pornography:
While the Massachusetts framework takes significant measures to address modern challenges, it could further emphasize the potential harm of relying on mainstream online pornography for sexual information. Explicitly stating that pornography is not a reliable source would enhance the overall effectiveness of the education.
Conclusion:
Massachusetts is leading the way with its progressive approach to sex education. By addressing the modern challenges faced by young people, including the impact of pornography, the state aims to provide comprehensive and evidence-based guidance. As research continues to inform best practices, Massachusetts’ framework has the potential to serve as a national model for sex education. With the inclusion of interactive and engaging learning materials, the state is empowering young people to make informed decisions about their sexual health and well-being.
Summary:
Massachusetts has released a draft framework for sex education, marking the first update in 24 years. The new guidelines address the well-being of gender and sexual minority populations and incorporate improvements over the previous version. Despite sex education being inconsistent across US states, Massachusetts is taking progressive steps to ensure comprehensive and evidence-based guidance. However, the prevalence of online pornography as a source of sexual information presents a significant challenge. Researchers in Massachusetts have developed an interactive online sex education module that shows promising results. By emphasizing critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills, Massachusetts aims to empower young people to navigate the complexities of sex and relationships. Strengthening the guidance on the potential harms of relying on mainstream online pornography can further enhance the effectiveness of sex education efforts. Massachusetts’ framework sets an example for other states to incorporate modern challenges into their sex education curricula.
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In June 2023, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shared with the public a draft of a new framework that will guide how the state’s elementary, middle, and high schools are approaching sex education.
THE the last time Massachusetts released the guidelines which detail expectations for what Massachusetts students learn about sex in schools 24 years ago, when most US homes were not yet connected to the Internet.
The new guidelines are part of a larger framework that addresses many aspects of health, including physical education, nutrition and hygiene. They include major improvements over the 1999 version, including standards that address the well-being of gender and sexual minority populations. It’s noteworthy, given that other US states have done so recently classroom education on gender identity and sexual orientation is prohibited.
The draft Massachusetts framework has been under development since 2018 but is not yet final. After a public comment period, open until 28 August, the framework is subject to approval by the Commonwealth Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and could be adopted as early as autumn 2023.
I am a public health researcher who focuses on sex education and healthy relationships. I co-developed and tested a new sex education module for Massachusetts high school students with funding from the National Institutes of Health, so I read the sex education portion of the framework with great interest.
I’ll provide more detail on the Massachusetts facility below, but first it’s important to understand the state of sex education in the United States
Sex education and pornography
Many young people in the United States are not getting the sex education they need. Currently, only 38 US states and the District of Columbia mandate any type of sex education. Consequently, it is not surprising that less than half of US teens say they were told where to get birth control before having heterosexual sex for the first time. And racial disparities are troubling: Black and Hispanic teens are less likely than white teens to get education about preventing sexually transmitted infections or HIV, or where to get birth control.
So where do teenagers and young adults go to get information about sex, in the absence of comprehensive sex education in school?
According to a national representative study that my team published in 2021, young adults in the United States are more likely to turn to pornography than their friends, parents, doctors, or any other source. This is a problem, because pornography isn’t designed to convey accurate or useful medical information about sex—it’s designed to get clicks or likes, make money, and entertain the viewer.
Massachusetts is not one of the states that mandates sex education. However, state law requires all public schools to teach health education. As a local controlling state, Massachusetts issues frameworks and guidelines and allows local school districts to decide how to implement them. This approach will continue with the new framework once adopted.
Importantly, the new Massachusetts framework acknowledges the prevalence of pornography and addresses other critical sex education topics for the modern world.
For example, the framework specifies that in grades 6 to 8, adolescents should know the laws related to digital sexual images. This is important because otherwise they may not realize that possessing or sending digital nude photos of anyone under the age of 18 is a crime even if the sender is also a minor.
The framework also suggests that adolescents should be able to analyze the similarities and differences between friendships, romantic relationships and sexual relationships and discuss the various ways to show affection within each. They are expected to be able to define sexual consent and describe factors, such as drug and alcohol use, that may influence the ability to consent. It recommends teaching strategies to help students recognize when someone is grooming or recruiting a young person for possible commercial sexual exploitation such as human trafficking.
While these points are strong, I would like to see a recommendation that schools tell young people that mainstream online pornography is not a good source of information about sexual behavior.
A series of online games
Our research team, which includes Kimberly Nelson of Boston University, PhD student Julia Campbell of the University of North Carolinaand BU masters student Tomeka Friesonworked on new sex education teaching materials for Massachusetts high schools for the last two years. As researchers, we have strived to create an online sex education module that reflects the best available evidence and feedback we have received from young people.
Our learning materials are in the form of short online games that students engage with in their free time and then return to class to discuss. One of the games has students sort the effectiveness of 11 different contraceptive methods. Another gives them insight into ways pornography can provide unnecessary expectations about sex and sexuality. A third game has students act as relationship problem-solving advice columnists for peers.
When we tested the materials with 54 adolescents ages 14 to 18 in Massachusetts in 2022, we found a statistically significant positive impact on a range of outcomes, from increased condom use to fewer experiences of partner abuse. We will be partnering with a number of Massachusetts high schools over the next few years to continue testing the impact of our module.
Reading the picture
In reading the new Massachusetts guidelines, our team noted several strengths of its approach.
First, the framework is evidence-based. In other words, the recommendations reflect the latest and best research available on how adolescents develop, learn and behave in relation to sex and sexuality.
Secondly, guidance is developmentally and age-appropriate, with different recommendations for different grade levels and with a focus on different perspectives, cultural differences and the importance of providing material in a way that does not traumatize students.
Thirdly, the framework encourages critical thinking, reasoning, decision making and problem solving of young people.
I hope Massachusetts strengthens guidance on pornography. If so, the new framework will be well placed to serve as a national model.
This article is republished by The conversation licensed under Creative Commons. Read the original article.
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