Young people are learning about sex from online porn because traditional sex education is “failing” them, MPs say amid a surge in sexually transmitted infections.
The Women and Equalities Commission said online information about sex and sexual health presents an “unacceptable risk of harm” due to a “lack of authoritative advice”.
MPs said there was “compelling evidence that relationships and sex education are failing young people” and the benefits of condom use “must become a key part of the curriculum”.
They also criticized the government for “failing to heed warnings” and seeing funding for sexual health services reduced year on year.
In its report, the committee found that cases of gonorrhea will rise to 82,592 by 2022, the highest number for any year since records began in 1918.
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They also found that the number of infectious syphilis diagnoses increased to 8,692 in 2022, the highest annual figure since 1948. Overall, 392,453 new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were diagnosed in England in 2022, which is more than 1,000 cases a day.
Councilor Caroline Knox, chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, called the figures a “red flag” and said: “Sexual health services are on the verge of collapse. They are underfunded and in many cases are unable to deliver the services needed locally .
“Significantly reducing funding for sexual health services at a time when demand for them is increasing is unsustainable and a clear false economy.”
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A government spokesman said: “In 2020 we made it mandatory for all secondary schools to provide relationship and sex education to ensure young people are equipped to make safe, informed and healthy choices.
“Content includes information about safe sex and contraception and how these can reduce sexually transmitted infections.
“This year we have allocated more than £3.5 billion to local authorities in England to fund public health services, including sexual health services, and this funding will increase every year for the next three years.”
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