Christian parents seldom educate their children on sex

A survey by the Nederlands Dagblad shows that many Christian parents and guardians do not talk to their children about sex. A majority of Christian students surveyed said that they had never or rarely spoken to their parents about topics like preventing STDs, sending nude photos or how to set boundaries around sex.

Students who were part of a Christian student association were surveyed by the news outlet, in collaboration with researchers from Tilburg University and Erasmus University Rotterdam. The survey was completed by 907 students.

Although about one in three respondents had experienced sex before, they reported that their parents or guardians gave them very little sex education. For example, 76 percent of students had never or seldom discussed sexual boundary-setting with their parents. Another 76 percent had never or rarely had a conversation about STD prevention with their caregivers. Only slightly more had talked about how to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

“The explanation for these figures is probably the fact that many parents do not feel that their children are having sex outside of marriage or in a committed relationship," said co-researched Hans van Dijk of Tilburg University. "It therefore seems unnecessary to talk about how to prevent an STD or what consequences sending nude photos can have."

As for how to make sex enjoyable, around 93 percent had never or rarely had a conversation with their parents about it. Informal sex education was more likely to come from friends or partners than parents. In addition, 17 percent said their sexual development was influenced by the church.

"These people are not married and relationships sometimes end," Van Dijk said. "This means that there is a good chance that these respondents have multiple sexual partners. We are already seeing that. Currently, 13 percent have had more than one sexual partner. That means it's relevant to talk about these kinds of topics."