LThe hunger for information about sexuality is typical of adolescence. But, in this historical moment, we are anticipating the age in which this need seems irrepressible. And, above all, the only option to get them is the Internet. Even before the age of 14, children feel uninhibited and already adults and search for and find information about sex on the internet. They stumble upon porn, they draw heavily from what, legally, would be forbidden to them. To the point that even the Italian porn star par excellence, Rocco Siffredi, takes the trouble to intervene to explain that nothing they see is real. There is a lot of confusion under the skies of the youngest. That they almost never understand the close link between the topic that attracts them so much and their reproductive health.
Sex and young people, “fertility tutors” in schools to counter confusion (and fake news on the internet)
What you do (e.g. unprotected sex) or don’t do (e.g. regular check-ups with specialists) as a teenager can determine your future fertility. Yet, young middle and high school students are increasingly entrusting their knowledge of sex to the web, so much so that for 1 in 2 the Internet is the main source of information, while for 12% it is friends. But almost the same percentage of boys and girls (48.8%) believe that school should take care of their sexual education.
These are some of the data that emerged from research promoted by Italian Society of Human Reproduction (SIRU) and presented on the occasion of its fifth regional congress. The event was an opportunity to relaunch the SIRU Training in Schools project which aims to transform children into “fertility tutors”, so that they in turn become sources of knowledge for their peers.
Uninhibited but very ignorant and confused
«Although apparently more uninhibited, young people today know very little about their sexuality and how this may then reflect on their future reproductive health», states the gynecologist Maria Giuseppina Picconeri, member of the SIRU board of directors. «For this reason, SIRU has been committed for years to addressing training and information on reproductive health in adolescents, in order to prevent lifestyle styles and habits correlated to the onset of pathologies of the reproductive system in adolescence which then, in adult, can lead to conditions of hypofertility or sterility, compromising a couple’s parental plan.”
Long live word of mouth among peers if it is correct and accurate
The methodology on which SIRU’s school education project is based is based on the active involvement of students. In fact, they themselves become “young trainers” for their friends. «Students share their knowledge, experiences and skills with their peers so that each student has the opportunity to teach and learn from others. This encourages critical thinking, collaboration and personal responsibility”, explains Giovanni Ruvolo, specialist at the Center for Reproductive Biology in Palermo. It is not a question of counteracting word of mouth among young people, which is natural, but of making its contents correct, accurate and reliable.
Young people and sex, more information today for the health of tomorrow
«In this way, true ‘opinion leaders’ will be formed who, even in contexts outside the school (parish, groups, usual meeting places) can provide truthful and safe information in the field of reproductive health», specifies Pietro Salacone, SIRU Lazio coordinator.
The project intends also contribute to tackling the issue of declining birthrates. Greater and early awareness of fertility risk factors, which begin to accumulate from an early age, can help significantly reduce future infertility and, consequently, counteract the dramatic decline in births.
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