Cumbria parents urged to talk to children about consent and healthy relationships
It's as a new survey suggests many teenagers are turning to social media for information
Last updated 11th Apr 2024
There's concern over the number of young people in Cumbria getting "dangerous" messages about sexual health and relationships on the internet.
Nearly a fifth of teenagers say the internet is their main source for information about sexual health and healthy relationships.
The Sex Education Forum Charity says young people are turning to online sources to learn about relationships and sex which is leaving them vulnerable to potentially "dangerous" and "untrustworthy" information.
A poll, of 1,001 students aged 16 and 17 in England, suggests that 30% of young people turned to social media as their main source of information about sexual orientation and gender identity, ahead of school (25%).
The survey, carried out by Censuswide on behalf of the charity in February, found that 22% of young people said the internet was their main source of information on pornography, while 15% said they turned to pornography itself as their main source of information on the topic.
Around a fifth said social media and websites were their main source of information about unhealthy relationships (21%), healthy relationships (18%) and sexual health (18%).