Lack of Sex ED

[Ginger!!]

Hi Scarleteen!
I was recently thinking about all of the sexual things I had to research & figure out on my own. Why is sexual education so limited, especially in the US? I understand some things are uncomfortable & really don’t have a straight forward answer. But truly, is there a law that limits (very much so IMPORTANT & RELEVANT) information?

I don’t recall learning anything about masturbation, consent, communication, orgasms, anatomy, shame/guilt, sexual orientation, self love, porn, kinks, gender, sexting, grooming/ SA, etc!!

Of course, as I said, some of those things are to be discovered by the self, but, come on, a general snippet of information would’ve been nice!?
All I learned was birth control, pregnancy( & scaring us with the idea of pregnancy) , how to use a condom, STI’s, saying the words “penis & vagina”, & maybe a few other things.
In the end, this is a rant, but I’m also genuinely curious if there are regulations that practically set up the youth to fail sexually with the lack of information. Or if conversations about sex in the US is still considered taboo.
Thank you!

[lilikoi]

Hi Ginger!!

Thank you for your question! I completely understand your disbelief. The number one thing I remember from my sex-ed class in high school was that the teacher would use a silly voice to talk about the things she deemed important because she thought we would remember it better. Ms. Christensen, no content do I remember.

I found this article from The Guttmacher Institute which gives a pretty in depth overview of where sex-ed standards are across the country as of September 2025. In case you feel like comparing, this page from the World Health Organization explains how international guidance recommends starting at age 5 and debunks the effectiveness of abstinence only education.

I feel your pain! Glad you found Scarleteen to supplement!

[Ginger!!]

Ah! Thank you for the resources & response. Sending you & the Scarleteen team good vibes!

[mikky]

Ginger, you might also be interested in looking at SIECUS's state profiles on sex ed: https://siecus.org/siecus-state-profiles/
Even in states that have standards that include a lot of positive benchmarks, quality sex ed isn't necessarily being delivered, and certainly not equitably. It is very underfunded, constantly attacked, teachers might not be trained or given the tools to actually meet the standards... I experienced classroom Health, Relationship and Sex Ed shortly before and then after a big state policy change that improved things a lot. Even with this much better experience, and some really awesome teachers and lessons, I found being in a classroom a really tough place to get the information and ask the questions that were relevant to me.

And yes, conversations about sex, especially ones not based in shame, are absolutely still taboo!
Something I love about Scarleteen is that we aren't just delivering sex ed to one specific area. Because access to shame-free, pleasure based, comprehensive, bespoke sex ed shouldn't be restricted based on where you live!
<3

[Ginger!!]

You are all angels! Thank you for the resources & applicable information. It is all so true, I wish the situation was different, as we all do . But I’m so grateful for this site! Thanks again mikky & lilikoi