Sex education in the U.S. is getting worse. COVID shook an already fragile system, and now students are turning to the internet and influencers for answers they should be getting in the classroom.
At the same time, schools are pulling back from partnerships with Planned Parenthood—the largest distributor of sex education in the U.S.—leaving teachers underprepared and overwhelmed. How can parents and teachers be expected to guide a generation growing up in an ever-changing online landscape through challenges in relationships and identity?
My name is Jenna Scherma, and I’m building a sex education platform. Over the past few years, I’ve spent significant time with teachers, district leaders, parents, youth organization leaders, tutors, coaches and sex educators across the U.S.—from New York to Alabama—as I’ve tried to better understand the problems plaguing the delivery of sex education.
In my work, I’ve heard countless stories about the inadequacies of sex education, and surveys I’ve run with 250 participants show the same pattern: 60% of students rely on the internet and social media for their information.
SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, reported 17% of Americans report that they never had any sex education in school. The states with the highest percentage of respondents who never received sex ed in school are Alabama (43%), Mississippi (35%), Kentucky (31%), Oklahoma (28%), New Hampshire (26%), Arkansas (24%), and Florida (24%). Nearly three-quarters of those who did not receive sex education in school wish they had.
Without sex education, young people don’t know where to turn with questions about their bodies, relationships or boundaries. Too often, they feel insecure, misinformed or ashamed—and so they turn to the internet for answers.
But without trusted guidance, they’re left vulnerable to misinformation, exploitation and harm. I believe that’s how many end up pulled into coercive voices or online communities that appear supportive but ultimately take advantage of their uncertainty.
Research shows that sex education that is culturally responsive and inclusive helps young people develop the social and emotional skills they need to become kind and empathetic human beings and healthier and more well-adjusted adults.
But in teaching sex education, our teachers face a mountainous burden.
In our survey, only 20% of educators relied on the school-provided curriculum for sex education, and 40% said the main barrier is the lack of trained educators. Together, these findings highlight the same issue: schools aren’t giving teachers the resources or preparation they need to succeed.
Other research echoes this. Studies show teachers often feel constrained by limited training, lack of institutional support, cultural or religious pushback, and discomfort with the subject itself (source, source).
Educators we spoke with described how hard it is to navigate today’s high-tech, post-pandemic world, where students face new social and emotional challenges. As one teacher put it: “How do you navigate Snapchat relationship drama as a teacher? These are the things we weren’t prepared for post-COVID.”
Our teachers—already struggling to find adaptable, easy-to-use resources—are becoming even more constrained day by day as sex education faces mounting legislative challenges. On top of that, Planned Parenthood is scaling back as the political ecosystem shifts with changing administrative guidelines.
When I spoke with a curriculum developer who’s been in the field for the last 30 years, she told me this is the worst the landscape has ever been.
But districts hold the levers of change. This is a leadership opportunity: by equipping teachers with tools and confidence, they can transform a sensitive subject into one that strengthens student well-being and equity.
That means investing in professional development to build teacher comfort and guidance. It means holding accountability for ensuring these lessons are taught, so students are safe and supported.
And it means providing ready-to-use, flexible resources so teachers aren’t left reinventing the wheel or piecing together lessons from an endless maze of online content. As I build Learn Mobo–I’ve drawn inspiration from leading resources in the space:
- Amaze.org: 300+ free animated videos on puberty, sex, bodies, and healthy relationships, available in 70+ languages and dialects.
- Sex Ed To Go: Digital courses delivered through classroom management systems, complete with student progress tracking and completion certificates.
- HealthSmart: A comprehensive print-based health curriculum with 400+ lessons.
- Unhushed: A K–12 curriculum paired with suggested in-classroom activities.
- Less Awkward: School-based health education, written and supported by pediatricians.
This space is changing fast, and the impact on our kids is deeper than most of us can yet grasp. But with leadership from districts and real accountability across schools, we can equip teachers with the resources and support they need—not just to make their jobs easier, but to give students the knowledge and confidence to grow up safer, healthier, and better prepared for the world they’re inheriting.
