Kids, It’s Purple Weeping Penis Time!

Groups of 14-16-year-olds are being taken on school trips to STI clinics in hospitals around the UK.

The purpose is to “demystify” sex and the clinics so that young people know what problems they will encounter if they have sex without condoms.

They then go back to their schools and present what they have learned to other groups of students.

They also use a “shock tactic” by showing them pictures of STIs and what they look like. The hope is that through this experience the young people will learn how to use condoms, why it is a good idea and the problems that come from not using protection, and become familiar with the clinic so that if they ever do need to get STI testing done it will not be a scary experience.

Overall, it’s trying to reduce STIs spreading among young people and improve their sexual health education.

Sounds like a great idea, right?

Of course, some parent groups are concerned.

“Taking a group of 14 year-olds to an STD clinic not only suggests that casual sex is normal, but will make many teenagers feel under pressure to rush into sexual relationships for which they are not ready”.

“I really worry that yet again we are treating children as mini-adults, and storing up terrible consequences for society.”

So what’s so bad about treating children as “mini-adults”? That’s what was done for centuries. It’s only in the most modern era that we have separated children and teenagers from adult society to the degree that we do now.

People used to marry and go to work at a much younger age than they do today and perhaps this separation and special treatment has some downsides.

If we are so afraid of ruining their so-called innocence by not teaching them the facts of life and how to have good sexual health then we are not helping them and protecting their innocence; we are hurting them and making it more likely that they will not have the knowledge to protect themselves when the time comes.

Try as we might, we can’t control the behaviour of other people, even our children. The best we can do is educate them and hope the make the right decision.

These trips are a great idea and I think the young people involved should consider themselves lucky to be a part of it.