Results from the national survey of 1001 young people aged 16 and 17 years old were released on the 5th December by Sex Education Forum. It reveals that satisfaction with their relationships and sex education (RSE) lessons at school has stagnated, despite a steady increase in quality over the last few years.

52% of those polled rate their RSE as good or very good - up just 2 percentage points compared to the 2024 poll. The stagnation comes as technological shifts rapidly change the way young people relate to sex and relationships. Sex Education Forum warns that without support for teachers,  digital risks could undermine relationships and sex education. The poll found that:

• 72% learnt either nothing at all or some but not enough about deepfakes
• 72% learnt either nothing at all or some but not enough about the law on strangulation and suffocation
• 65% said they learned nothing or some but not enough about skills for ending friendships and relationships
• 53% of respondents learnt either nothing at all or some but not enough about pornography
• 52% learnt either nothing at all or not enough about how to access local sexual health services
• The least embarrassing source of information for relationships and sex education was ‘a friend who you mostly know in person’, followed by artificial intelligence and health professionals.  
• Dads or male carers ranked as the most embarrassing, followed by mums or female carers.
• School was chosen as the ‘most helpful’ source of information, ahead of parents and online source

Here's the link to the full report.

For further information on RSE and the support available across Torbay, please click here to visit the relevant pages.