How TikTok could be reshaping sex education – expert

The birds and the bees on Tik Tok. Picture Supplied TikTok is increasingly shaping how young people understand sex, relationships and identity, raising concerns about the decline of formal sex education and parental guidance. She also noted that the growing influence of online personalities in shaping norms and expectations around intimacy, often without formal expertise, has created the need for a more collaborative approach to modern sex education involving educators, healthcare professionals and digital platforms.

Welsh said traditional sex education had, for decades, failed to reflect the lived realities of young people, focusing heavily on pregnancy prevention and disease avoidance while avoiding broader discussions around identity, desire and emotional complexity. This, she said, created an environment where young people did not see formal education as a credible or useful source of information. She said parents had also often not filled the gap, citing discomfort, lack of language and assumptions that schools were providing sufficient guidance.

As a result, young people sought out information in spaces where they felt safer asking questions and engaging with content that reflected their experiences. Welsh said the change in content from risk-based messaging to discussions focusing on pleasure and identity highlighted what had been missing from formal education. She noted that sexuality had been framed primarily as a risk to be managed, rather than a broader experience involving communication, confidence and connection. “For women in particular, the gap was enormous,” she said, noting that many had been taught more about avoiding pregnancy than understanding their own bodies or recognising discomfort.