Young people are turning to porn and social media to learn about sexual health, MPs have warned. The Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee said kids are being exposed to an “unacceptable risk of harm” as they search for help online. It said sex education in schools is “failing young people” due to an “absence of authoritative advice”. MPs highlighted a “deeply concerning” increase in sexually-transmitted infections among young people, blaming a lack of understanding of sex and sexual health. They demanded the Government, school leaders and Ofsted place “a greater priority” on teaching about sex in schools and help parents understand that providing information on STIs “is a safeguard rather than a threat”. They said that the benefits of condom use “must be a key part of the curriculum” and that relationships and sex education (RSE) should be taught up to the age of 18. The committee also said sexual health services were at “breaking point” and called on the Government to “radically increase” funding for sexual health services. It said funding has reduced year-on-year, with around half of services unable to offer face-to-face consultations when contacted and many struggling to maintain sufficient staffing levels. MPs said many young people need face-to-face advice and support from trusted adults and criticised ministers for having “failed to heed” warnings over adequately funding sexual health services. According to the most recent official data, there were 392,453 diagnoses of new STIs in England in 2022 – more than 1,000 every day and an increase of 23.8% compared with 2021. Some 82,592 cases of gonorrhoea were diagnosed, the highest since records began in 1918, with young people most affected, while syphilis cases reached a peak not seen since 1948, with 8,692 diagnoses. There were 199,233 cases of chlamydia diagnosed in 2022, a 24% rise from the previous year. Around a third of these were among people aged 15-24. Chair of the committee Caroline Nokes said: “The 2022 data on STIs is a red flag and should encourage everyone to do better. There is also compelling evidence that Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in schools is inadequate, including in relation to contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with nearly half of children saying education in this area is so poor they rely on finding information for themselves online. This exposes children to an unacceptable risk of harm.” The senior Tory MP added: “In 2019, the Government committed to delivering a strategy on improving the nation’s sexual health. It is unacceptable that five years later no progress has been made.” The committee said that ministers need to launch a public information campaign on safe sex – with a particular focus on STI prevention among young people. It also called on the Government to do more to increase uptake of the HPV vaccine, which helps protect against cervical cancer, as it said it was a “tragedy” so many were missing out.
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