Shy children ‘should have sex lessons online’

CHILDREN must have access to online sex education because they are too embarrassed to discuss relationships in the classroom, charities have said.

In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, more than a dozen charities warn that teenagers must be able to access sex and relationships advice from the privacy of their homes.

Warning that the prevalence of online pornography is warping teenagers’ views on sex and relationships, the charities have urged the Government to establish a national database to ensure children are getting advice from safe and trusted sources.

The Government has faced growing calls to roll out compulsory sex education in schools, amid concern that the current guidance, which was last reviewed in 2000, is now outdated.

However, leading charities including Relate and the Centre for Social Justice warn that focusing solely on classroom teaching risks isolating children who shy away from questions in class.

The group has called for a “BBC Bitesize”-style database to be set up, which would allow less confident students to access intimate and potentially embarrassing advice from the privacy of their homes.

They write that today’s teenagers now spend 20 hours a week online, adding that in order to be “effective in reaching young people” the reforms need to “go beyond the classroom”.

Speaking to this newspaper last night, Catherine Barker, chief executive of the Family Stability Network said: “Relationships are one of the most important goals for adult life, yet children are leaving school scandalously ill-equipped to succeed in this, let alone manage the relationships pressures and challenges they face whilst at school.”