The Very Worst Ways The Young Can Learn About Sex.

Worst ways youth could learn about sex.

By Nick Stumbo, Op-ed contributor Tuesday, February 04, 2025.

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The worst ways young people could possibly learn about sex are in fact their primary sources of exposure, according to a recent study by Pure Desire and Barna Group. Their peers, social media, pornography and internet research were the top four most-cited influences on American conceptions of sex and sexuality in the same report.

For Gen Z, social media was cited by nearly half as an influential force. Moms were influential for just 1 in 5 Gen Z’ers, while dads were ranked as even less influential. Even though parents have the earliest and most trusted role in a young person's life, the data shows that they play a much less significant role in the sexual education of their children. This disconnect shows the importance of equipping parents to impart the correct moral vision of sex where God created us lovingly in His image and formed our sexuality.

Pornography, social media, and internet research are all variations of the same basic hyper-sexualized and self-centered content and worldview. Our teens’ peers often absorb this and become sources of more of the same pornographic vision of sex. CP.