MILAN (ITALPRESS) – On the days when the Chamber of Deputies votes the Drawing of Law presented by the Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara concerning the provisions on informed consent in the school, the theme of affective and sexual education in schools is back to the centre of public debate. Young people in Italy show that they have very clear ideas: 9 out of 10 require the introduction of sexual education at school, wishing to address issues such as IST information and protection (54%), consent in affective relationships (48%) constructively and with the support of qualified professionals. 72.2% of them, in fact, believes that doctors, psychologists and experts in the field are the most suitable figures to guide a serious and informed educational path. To confirm this is the data of the historical Observatory “Giovani e Sessualità” of Durex, conducted in collaboration with Skuola.net between May and June 2025 on a sample of 15,000 young people between 11 and 24 years, who, coming this year to its 8th edition, has for the first time investigated also the thought of parents. The answers will surprise: Almost 8 parents out of 10 (78.6%), in fact, declare themselves favorable to the introduction of structured paths of affective and sexual education in schools, and even 45.3% believe that such programs should start already from middle schools. This interest is probably the result of the concerns that surround parents’ thoughts, especially in relation to emotional and relational aspects: 28.7% fear, in fact, that their children may live toxic relationships and 19.3% are concerned with the risk of sexual violence. To follow, fears related to sexually transmitted infections (17.1%) and lack of use of contraceptive methods (16.3%). In a context, the Italian one, where 23.6% of young people claim to have had the first sexual intercourse between 11 and 14 years, these aspects should not be ignored, especially considering that the percentage of those who do not speak of sexuality in the family increased by 12% in a single year (from 37% of 2024 to 49% of 2025). Among the reasons: 46.8% do not feel comfortable in dealing with these issues with parents while, for 14.5%, it is a real taboo. In the absence of dialogue at school or at home, and with increasingly precocious sexual intercourse, girls and boys believe that to inform themselves there is only one possibility: internet, with all the risks of the case and facing potential access to pornographic content. 53.2% of young people, attracted by anonymity and rapidity, in fact declares to seek online answers on sexuality and contraception, informing themselves through partial, inappropriate, often harmful and frequently incorrect content, which in some cases may also lead to potentially dangerous situations for their safety. A situation that leads, above all the young people, to face the first experiences in an unconscious way, with little information on the consent and respect of themselves and others. At-risk behaviour can also be linked to sexting: Almost a young man on two (47.2%) says he sends or receives sexually explicit content, with the phenomenon that already affects 30% of children between 11 and 13 years. These practices, if not managed with awareness, can lead to problems related to non-consensual sharing of private material: 46% of respondents say they have received unsolicited images or videos, a percentage that reaches 50% among girls and 42% in the younger band (11-13 years). Precise consent, in this scenario, remains a crucial aspect even outside the network: 1 young out of 5 believes that one can be taken away from a sexual relationship with the partner “only occasionally”. In addition, 40% of participants consider jealousy or excessive ownership of the partner only “possible” signals of a relationship to be limited, confirming a poor emotional awareness. “The first approach to sexuality takes place more and more early and, in the absence of qualified support, the risk of exposure to risky and harmful behaviour, sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies is increasingly high,” said Filippo Nimbi, psychologist, clinical sexologist and Secretary General of the European Federation of Sexology. “We can’t leave young people alone, we can’t risk their health and serenity, we can’t show them that an alternative there is but we don’t want to grasp it and experiment, we can’t pretend we’re not among the few in Europe in this situation. It is essential to show us at last mature and give them the opportunity to take advantage of emotional and sexual education at school, based on the involvement of qualified experts and professionals and on a scientific and inclusive approach” concluded Nimbi.-photo Ipa Agency – (ITALPRESS).
