The majority of the UK’s population are in favour of children being taught about sexual consent, ‘sexting’ and the impact of pornography at school, a children’s charity has found.
A survey commissioned by Plan International UK found 86% of respondents supported the inclusion of education on sexual consent and 82% favoured education about violence and abuse in relationships.
Carried out by the strategic insight agency Opinium, the survey also discovered that 75% supported the inclusion of education about the impact of pornography and 71% were in favour of education about ‘sexting’.
Support was higher among parents, with 87% supporting education on sexual consent, 83% for violence and abuse in relationships, 77% supporting education on the impact of pornography, and 73% for ‘sexting’.
Seven out of ten parents also backed the inclusion of education about different sexualities.
‘It’s clear that the UK public – including parents – feel that educating our children about issues such as sexual consent, different sexual orientations and the impact of pornography is important,’ said Plan International UK’s chief executive Tanya Barron.
‘Parents are simply demanding that their children’s education reflects the 21st century reality of their lives. Children today can be exposed to all sorts of sexual imagery on a daily basis which we know to be causing harm.’
Research by the charity last year found reports of sexual offences in UK schools more than doubled between 2011 and 2015.
