Behavioral Neuroscience of Adolescence (Spring 2019): Position Paper: Reforming Sexual Education in Public School

By Rose Fisher, Kenyon College, '22

This is an annotated bibliography of the position paper I wrote about sexual education in public school. My paper includes information and data collected from numerous studies, and reviews how sexual education can benefit adolescents, and how best to teach sexual education courses. I chose this topic because I think it is extremely important that comprehensive sexual education be offered in every high school across the country.

When I entered adolescence, I was fortunate enough to go to a private school in North Carolina with an extremely comprehensive sexual education program. In high school, I was taught about what STDs are, what contraceptive methods are most effective, and what consent means. Many students in public schools across my home state do not receive the comprehensive sexual education that I did, and are instead taught that sex before marriage is wrong, and that abstinence is the only way to practice safe sex. Numerous scientific studies have proven, however, that sexual education is most effective when students are taught not to abstain from sex, but instead how to have safe sex. Research regarding the neuroscience of adolescence has proven that the neurological and biological changes associated with adolescence make teenagers more inclined to engage in sexual behavior, and conclude that the best way to prevent STDs and teenage pregnancies is to teach adolescents how to have protected sex. In addition to comprehensive sexual education being more effective, I believe that it teaches adolescents to be responsible and indicates that they are mature and trustworthy enough to make their own decisions regarding sex. Furthermore, I do not believe that the government should be responsible for judging whether students should be having sex, it should only be responsible for ensuring that adolescents are given complete, honest information about sex. Conversations about the morality of premarital sex can be had between a student and his/her family. Thus, it is my position that public high schools should offer transparent and comprehensive sexual education courses which teach adolescent students how to practice safe sex.
Research done by the Guttmacher Institute has shown that only twenty-four states and Washington D.C. mandate that their public schools have sexual education programs (2019). Of that twenty-four, only thirteen mandate that the information in the programs be medically accurate. Thirty-seven states and Washington D.C. allow parents to prohibit their children from receiving sexual education, and three states mandate parental consent before students can receive sexual education. These statistics are surprising, but are improvements in comparison to sexual education in the past (Santelli et al., 2017).

Individuals are more inclined to engage in risky behavior such as sexual conduct during adolescence because their brains, particularly their prefrontal cortices, are rapidly developing and their hormone levels are increasing (Galván, 2010). According to the Harvard Health Blog, males produce ten times the amount of testosterone during adolescence versus childhood (2011). This increased interest in sex is also a result of the adolescent brain developing the ability to self-regulate, or to regulate emotions, behaviors and thought processes (Crandall, Magnusson, & Novilla, 2017). Because their prefrontal cortices are still evolving, adolescents are less able to self-regulate their emotions and behaviors. As a result of this, they may act impulsively and engage in risky behavior, even behavior that they have been warned against. During adolescence, the reward system in the brain, which measures and reacts to pleasurable stimulation from a person’s environment, is significantly more active than during childhood or adulthood. Thus, when adolescents engage in pleasurable activities such as sex, they experience a surge of dopamine, encouraging them to continue engaging in risky, thrill-seeking behavior (Galván, 2010). Additionally, adolescent individuals are significantly more interested in forming connections with peers, including romantic and sexual connections, as they begin to value friendships and peer opinions more.

As a result of their desire for social connections and peer-approval, adolescents are much more susceptible to peer pressure (Galván, 2010). While peer pressure is often associated with using drugs or drinking alcohol, it applies to a broader range of activities including sex. Adolescents may not experience pressure to have sex in the moment, as they may to drink at a party where there is alcohol, but they can feel pressured by their friends who are sexually active to begin having sex.

Increased interest in romantic relationships coupled with changes in sex hormone levels and neurological functioning all contribute to teenagers beginning to take interest in engaging in sexual behavior (Galván, 2010). Furthermore, adolescent individuals are increasingly inclined to rebel and disobey authority figures who prohibit them from engaging in dangerous activities. Because it likely that teenagers will rebel from abstinence-only rhetoric, it is far better that they be prepared to practice safe sex. As of 2012, only 71% of American high school districts required that sexual education be taught (Breuner & Mattson, 2016). The abstinence-only information provided by many American public schools has been proven to be ineffective at preventing STDs and unplanned pregnancies, while comprehensive sexual education has been proven to be effective in both these categories. A study done in 2005 demonstrated that while 99% of teenagers who did not take a virginity pledge had sex before marriage, 88% of teenagers who took the pledge engaged in premarital sex (Breuner & Mattson, 2016). Furthermore, it is worth noting that public schools which do not provide comprehensive sexual education on moral grounds do not account for situations wherein an adolescent is in a sexually abusive relationship or is raped. In these situations, adolescents who have been given an abstinence-only education would not know how to prevent pregnancy (by use of the morning-after pill or abortion) or recognize the symptoms of an STD.

As stated earlier, adolescence is a period of development when individuals are learning to control their behaviors and regulate their emotions. While it may seem counterintuitive, risk-taking is actually necessary in order for an adolescent to become independent from his/her parents (Galván, 2010). It is crucial that adolescents be treated with respect and be given responsibility regarding their own sexual activity to learn how to make decisions for themselves. The distrust and lack of transparency associated with abstinence-only sexual education policies, or any policies which do not explain how to engage in safe sex, make adolescents distrust their teachers and feel uncomfortable asking legitimate questions when they have them. If nothing else, teenagers should not feel awkward or ashamed asking questions or having conversations about sex with their teachers and peers.

The last reason that public schools should mandate comprehensive sexual education is because it is not the government’s responsibility to impose its opinion about the morality of sex on public schools, and thus on adolescents. The implication of abstinence-only policies is often that sex is not only dangerous, but immoral. Although this is increasingly frowned-upon, some high schools still shame girls about their sexuality in order to prevent them having sex before marriage, often using the visual aid of a white napkin or slipper becoming dirty after one use and no longer being wanted. Contrary to this representation, sex is not necessarily a bad thing when consensual and practiced safely. An adolescent’s decision in regards to whether or not s/he is ready to have sex should be between him/her and his/her family. The decision should not be in the hands of the government or his/her high school. Sexual education classes should be for the purpose of teaching adolescents the facts about sex and sexual relationships. Furthermore, it is worth noting that at many public schools, sexual education is limited to education about heterosexual relationships. All relationships and sexualities should be represented in sexual education classes, as again it is not the place of the government to impose its opinions on students’ sexualites, and what kind of sex they should or should not be practicing.

The aim of this paper is not to imply that high schools should not teach adolescents the dangers associated with having sex, or that sex should not be taken seriously. In fact, it is extremely important that students are able to have serious conversations with friends, family, and even teachers about their sexuality and readiness to have sex. However, students should be educated in regards to safe sex, and should have every option available. Adolescence is a period of experimentation and rebellion, and regardless of what is taught in school, teenagers will have premarital sex. Instead of trying to control them, schools should instead aim to teach teenagers how to have sex safely. This way, adolescents will not be afraid to ask questions about sex, to talk about sex, or to explore their sexualities.

While the conversation surrounding sexual education is constantly evolving, mostly in the right direction, there is still a lot of work to be done so that adolescents feel they have the education they need to make their own decisions, and so they can be responsible for their own sexual activity. This extensive education will help prevent unplanned pregnancies and STD’s, and will aid adolescents in making decisions about sex. Statistics and evidence prove that, when compared with abstinence-only programs, high schools that offer comprehensive sexual education better prepare students for practicing safe sex in the future (Kohler, Manhart & Lafferty, 2008). Educating adolescents on how to make informed decisions regarding sex will help them mature, become more confident and independent, and stay safe.