Should Schools Devote More Time to Sex Ed and Mental Health?

Inspired by 13 Reasons Why, one of our student contributors makes their case for better health education.

Trigger warning: This article discusses suicide.

Due to the easy accessibility and excessive use of social media, teenagers are very much aware of the issues of the world. And yet, our schools are not supporting this change in a way that is helpful or useful. 

Sexual harassment, suicide, and drug and alcohol abuse are talked about at a minimum in classrooms, and this is a big problem for teens today.

At the moment, these topics are only compulsory education for grades 7 – 10 , and not even in all Australian states. Year 11 and 12 students (those who many would suggest need this education the most) do not receive compulsory classes on these issues. As for those students who do learn about these topics in Health, the amount of time allocated to ‘alcohol and other drugs’ and ‘mental health and wellbeing’ appears to be very little, having to fight for prominence alongside numerous other focus areas in the Australian Curriculum.

This means teenagers are left to educate themselves through the internet and social media, and this can be a crucial mistake as the internet can feed false information and often wrongly glorifies situations.

In a case seen earlier this year, some schools barred all discussion of 13 Reasons Why, instead of engaging its students on the controversial subject matter.

But teens need to be prepared in case they are faced with these issues in their own lives, and allocating little teaching time in the classroom is not allowing for this. Follow-up lessons have been shown to increase the effectiveness of drug prevention campaigns, for instance. This means these issues aren’t being effectively taught if they’re only getting a passing mention.

Education on these topics is not only necessary because it helps teens in tough situations, but also because it helps them grab onto a better understanding of society and how to live.

Discussions in the classrooms on these topics need to be more common, to allow for students to have the right information about these issues, instead of only parts of the truth.

Without more common discussions, student knowledge on these topics is going to become foggy and misinterpreted from the truth.

Are you experiencing suicidal thoughts or domestic and family violence? Seeking to support someone who is? Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

Visit ReachOut to get support to help you with everything from everyday issues through to tough times.

Ciara Burren is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. See more student contributions here.

Photo: Netflix