Wellbeing

Sexting, Intimacy and Pornography, A Conversation Worth Starting

On 11 June our Year 10 students participated in a valuable workshop delivered by Elephant Ed, an organisation that engages young people in conversations around respectful and healthy relationships. The session focused on key topics such as navigating peer pressure, sexting, intimacy, and the importance of safe and respectful relationships.

We know these are big conversations, and we also know they need to start early, in safe and supportive environments like home.

Recent Australian research shows that children are being exposed to pornography at younger ages than ever before, often accidentally. The average age of first exposure is around 13 for boys and 14 for girls. Alarmingly, almost 50% of boys have seen pornography by age 13, and nearly half of girls by age 15.

These early experiences can significantly shape young people's attitudes toward their bodies, relationships, and sexuality. That’s why it’s so important for us; parents, carers, and educators, to help frame these conversations with healthy and realistic expectations.

We understand that these topics can feel awkward or overwhelming, and it’s not always easy to know how or when to start. To help, we’ve gathered a few trusted resources from SchoolTV that you can explore in your own time:

• Parenting Course: Talking About Sex and Relationships In today’s hypersexualised culture, it’s important for parents to be proactive. Rather than waiting, we should be asking, “What messages do I need to counter so my child can develop a healthy sense of self, body image, and relationships?”. You can navigate these thoughts as well and the how and when of these conversations in this practical, supportive course.

   

• Parent Booklet Developed from real stories and questions from parents navigating these topics with their own children.

   

• Helpful Video Resource An engaging video to help you begin a conversation with your child in a relatable way. 

   

• Additionally explore the Sexting edition or the Online pornography edition on SchoolTV to you can enrich your knowledge about this topic and find tools and resources to guide your young people at home.

Let’s continue working together to support our young people in developing a safe, respectful, and informed approach to intimacy and relationships.