Talking about young people and sex, sexuality and consent with Dr Tessa Opie

Sex, sexuality, consent, respectful relationships - these are all things our children need and want to learn about and, according to expert, Dr Tess Opie, we’re not doing a good job at educating them.

In today’s social media saturated world, young adults form unrealistic ideas about what is sexy, and there is a huge sense of peer pressure to be sexually active. In the absence of appropriate education about sex, many turn to porn as their guide. Unfortunately, the sites young people are likely to access show violent or aggressive sex acts and fail to show what is vital to respectful sexual intimacy in the real world such as conversations around contraception, discussions regarding boundaries or checking in with each other. The results of this are not good - rates sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhoea, syphilis and chlamydia have all increased in young people, as has coerced sex.

Join me as I chat with Dr Tess Opie, founder and director of in your skin® and advocate for healthy and consenting relationships. Tess’ approach to education around sex, sexuality and consent is sex-positive, evidence-based and harm reduction focused. In Tess’ experience, young people are keen for information and sensible, mature conversations around sex and sexuality. They are sick of the sex negative way education around sex has traditionally been delivered.

Tess explains some of the challenges facing our young people when it comes to sex and sexuality and offers expert advice. Her website has resources we can access so we can become more aware of the pressures facing our children around sex and how to have those important conversations with them.

in your skin®: https://www.inyourskin.co

Making Sense with Sam Harris: https://samharris.org/podcast/

Legal Services Commission of SA, Sex and Consent Fact Sheet: https://lsc.sa.gov.au/cb_pages/young_people_and_sex_and_consent.php