Can the Sex Education series inform adolescents about sexuality?

After the end of the fourth and final season of Sex Education, broadcast this fall on Netflix, can this series be useful for the sex education of young people? Answer with a doctor, specialist in the subject. In the series, young Otis and his friend Maeve set up a clandestine sexology consultation practice in their high school. The practice takes place in disused toilets of the school establishment and sees teenagers questioning their sexuality because they cannot find answers from adults. “For Otis, it's difficult to talk about the subject with his mother because she is a sex therapist. It is too close and the subject too intimate,” comments Dr Didier Lauru, psychiatrist and author of numerous works on adolescent sexuality. How has this British series changed our vision of adolescent sexuality?

“The first few times can be scary because you have to jump into the unknown. Experiencing a desire and being the object of desire for someone is new,” explains Dr Didier Lauru. Unlike sex education courses which deal more with the health risks linked to sexuality, this series addresses the diversity of the components of the subject during adolescence. Feelings, attachment, decisions, respect for oneself and others, and consent are addressed. When Otis cannot masturbate, unlike the other high school students, it is the burden of sexual obligation that is questioned. Sexuality education for adolescents is complex because it must adapt to the diversity of needs and individual situations of each young person. “What is at stake is everyone’s subjective experience. The relationship with others, with the other's body and with one's own body. The romantic or sexual relationship,” specifies Dr. Lauru.

Some parents may wonder about the benefit of addressing these subjects in fiction aimed at young people, but a study published in the journal BMJ Open in 2021 by French researchers shows that these series can have a useful information role. The authors analyzed Netflix series aimed at adolescents and observed protective messages regarding sexual health, mainly on harassment and violence, protection against sexually transmitted infections and contraception.

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In Sex Education, Otis' mother, played by Gillian Anderson, is a sex therapist but her son is unable to discuss topics related to sexuality with her. “Parents are too close on intimate issues, there are different discomforts for a teenager to talk about it to parents,” specifies Dr Didier Lauru. And in middle and high school, sexuality education is generally limited to the risks of getting pregnant and catching a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Most students will leave high school with at least one education session on the subject. These sessions must make education stakeholders work together (all disciplines and all school stakeholders are mobilized in the text), however the school is not used to it and struggles to implement long-term actions. . “Adults and National Education teachers must get started,” judges Didier Lauru.

Unable to talk about intimacy with their parents or out of curiosity, some young people turn to pornographic videos. A 2017 Ifop study shows that in 2013, 37% of adolescents between 15 and 17 years old said they had already consulted a pornographic site, and the proportion increased to 53% in 2021 despite the bans on such sites for minors. In 2017, 55% of adolescents who had seen a pornographic video admitted that they were too young to watch these videos.

Pornography absolutely cannot replace adolescents' lack of information, because “there is only performance in porn, with imposed figures. We must make it clear to adolescents that we must not do it like that,” warns Dr Didier Lauru. Pornographic videos show stereotypical sexuality leaving no room for feelings, attachment, pleasure, or even consent. “Before having sex as a couple, you need to talk about it. Talk with your partner. Do not impose something on him that he does not want, you have to check the consent of the other,” recalls Didier Lauru.

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“What is interesting in the series is that the adult is a relay who helps the youngest to make the transition,” points out Didier Lauru. However, the universe of the series lacks “characters who are only looking for a romantic relationship, as well as a more calm female character. However, we can recommend the series to teenagers. It’s not too vulgar, the scenes are not too shocking,” says Didier Lauru. The platform indicates that the series is reserved for those over 16 years old. For serious and reliable information, Dr Lauru recommends the site https://www.filsantejeunes.com/ which provides free sheets, a forum and contact persons.