Your sexual attitudes

Our sexual attitudes are shaped by our parents, peer groups, media and teachers.

We all have views, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes about sex. Some people think that sex is something to be ashamed of; others are very open and comfortable about their sexuality. Some societies and some families are very comfortable talking about sexual matters while others prefer not to.

Our sexual attitudes are shaped by our parents, peer groups, media and teachers. Where you are born, who your parents and family are, your culture, religion and social circumstances will all have a profound influence on your sexual attitudes. 

Your friends will be very influential in shaping your ideas about sex. They may be eager to pass on information – whether or not it is accurate! There is often great excitement and a sense of naughtiness about sex talk among teenagers, but there can also be pressure to have sex or to engage in risky sexual behaviour, which many young people are not ready for. Any form of taunting or bullying of a young woman with regard to sex can leave lasting negative sexual attitudes that can be hard to reverse. 

Traditional and social media, play a huge role is shaping sexual attitudes and these days, young people have easy access to sexual information from all over the globe, some of it very explicit. This makes it very challenging for any young woman to find her own comfort level in the sexual world. 

Social media poses real risks for some young people.  Most young people know now that the social media is not private and that comments and photos must all be carefully considered before they are put online. But young people are still very vulnerable in the social media space.  Young people are also vulnerable to exploitation by strangers on the web who attempt to trick them into sharing sexual information or meeting for sexual activity. Caution is important with any social media use.

Finding information 

Look for information in places where the information can be trusted. Schools, health professionals, family planning organisations and government agencies can provide good, non-judgemental information that will promote safe, happy and healthy sexuality throughout your lifetime. Teenagers often find it hard to talk with their parents about sex but parents can often be the safest place to go when you are struggling or if something bad has happened. Parents need to be careful not to judge and to lecture young people who come to them for advice or information on sexual matters. It is important to keep the information channels open.  

We will attempt in these pages to give you good researched based information, please feel free to give us feedback or to tell us if there is other information you would like. If you don’t want us to email you back just say so and we will respect your privacy. 

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