English schools’ revised sex education curriculum to focus on family

The Evolution of Sex Education

I’m no expert on how sex and relationships education in schools has changed over the years, but stereotypically things have become more liberal of late, with a focus much more on the process and physical repercussions of sex than on moral and societal issues surrounding the subject.

I can’t say that this is absolutely true, because schools can teach things in different ways, with more or less emphasis placed on issues beyond “how sex works”.

However, thanks in part to the way society has changed, particularly over the last decade or so, in its attitudes to sex and its portrayal in the media, the UK government on both sides is now looking at promoting familial and stable relationships.

Yesterday, the standard curriculum for sex education in English schools was updated to place more value on the moral and relational aspects of sex.

Delaying Sex

In an age-appropriate way, children will now be taught that it’s OK to delay having sex, and that they shouldn’t feel pressured by friends or the media into becoming sexually active as the “normal” thing to do.

Stability

Marriage and other stable relationships will be heralded as the “bedrock of family life”, with education on “the challenges and responsibilities of parenthood”.

Bullying and Pressure

Sexually-motivated bullying is sadly becoming more common. Mobile phone technology can be used to send compromising photographs which, apart from being illegal in the eyes of the law, could cause great distress to those victims caught on camera.

Other advice will warn about overtly sexualised imagery now prevalent in most types of media, including television, magazines, advertising and the Internet.

Comment

Children’s Secretary Ed Balls said, “Young people today grow up in a very different world to the one their parents knew as children.

“New technologies and a 24-hour media mean that young people are increasingly exposed to images and content that can make them feel pressure to be sexually active before they are ready and can give them misleading information about relationships and growing up.

“We also want young people to understand the importance of marriage and other stable relationships – these are the bedrock of family life, the best way to bring up children and the kind of relationships we want young people to develop as they get older.”

What do you think of the changes?

Photo credit: Made Underground

Via

There’s no such thing as the average Joe Bloggs…

Size is a big issue for 21st Century boys

Female body shapes have long been the subject of analysis and debate, with women from all corners of the world comparing their figures to a pear, apple or string bean. Now, for the first time a boys clothing specialist aims to uncover the truth about the male physique.

Online retailer Joe Bloggs Clothing, is launching a pioneering study, that will delve into the unchartered territory of boys figures, the results of which promise to revolutionise sizing for boys aged 7-16 years old.

The iconic brand will survey 5,000 boys to discover the average height, waist and inside leg measurements for each age group, in a bid to reveal the shape of the 21st Century boys.

Joe Bloggs’ PR and Marketing Director Bushra Ahmed commented, “Joe Bloggs has been a successful boys brand for over 20 years, during that time fashion has changed as boys aged 7-16 years old have become more style conscious than ever before.

“We also know that body shapes have changed dramatically, there’s no such thing as the average Joe Bloggs anymore! As our campaign photograph demonstrates, 15 year-old boys come in all shapes and sizes, so therefore the way we size our clothes must reflect that.

“We will be the first clothing experts to survey this age group and get to the bottom of the sizing issue, making it easier for boys to buy clothes and look good.”

The Photograph

From left to right: Otis (6ft 2inches), Tim (5ft 7inches), Jordan (4ft 11inches) These three boys prove that there’s no such thing as the average Joe Bloggs, all aged 15-16, but very different in size!

The Survey

If you’re a boy aged 7-16 years old, or your son is, then you can take part in this national survey simply by logging onto joebloggsclothing.co.uk. Every boy that takes part will be entered into a free prize draw and could win one of the hundreds of Joe Bloggs prizes on offer.

Toy Watch: Hexbugs, Fruit Factory, Roary Racing Car, Lazy Town

A selection of the latest children’s toys and games to catch our eye.

Hexbugs

For your teenager (aged 14+) these colourful little robot insects could provide some amusement. They scuttle around, detecting and avoiding obstacles and shying away from loud noises.

Available in five colours for £9.99 each from I Want One of Those.

Let’s Cook 3-in-1 Fruit Factory

With the Let’s Cook Fruit Factory there are 3 ways to get your 5-a-day portions of fruit! Safe to use, the blender allows you to turn fruit into delicious juice and smoothies or you can pour into the special lolly cases, pop into the freezer and enjoy healthy, yummy lolly pops!

Try an apple lolly or a banana smoothie! What ever your choice you’ll have fun making them with the Lets Cook Fruit Factory

Suitable for ages 5+. £19.98. Available from Kiddimax

Roary the Racing Car Light ‘em up Roary Torch

It’s time to shine with Roary’s Light ‘em up Torch!

In the daytime you can play with Roary as a car and at night you can switch him on, pull up the handle and you will be able to see in the dark. His cap and eyes glow too.

Suitable for ages 3+. £9.89. Available from Kiddimax

Lazy Town Talking & Singing Stephanie Stylin Moves

Clip on the backpack to hear phrases & on the go music, You can also dress Stephanie for a sleepover party!

Includes:

• 2 Outfits
• Comb
• Hairclip
• Sleeping bag
• Pom poms
• Charm for you to wear!

Suitable for ages 3+. £19.89. Available from Kiddimax

Live web event: How to Tackle Tough Topics With Teenagers

With all the busyness of the New Year, I almost let this announcement slip through the net, but there’s still time to take part and watch the show How to Tackle Tough Topics With Teenagers

From GotATeenager.org.uk:

Judging how to talk with your teenager about risky subjects like sex, drugs and alcohol can be hard. Our webchat with parenting expert Suzie Hayman makes it easier

Chat date: Tuesday 20th January
Chat time: 12.30pm (GMT)

Talking to your child about sex, drugs and drinking can be hard, but it is crucial if you are to give them the confidence to navigate through the minefield of the teenage years. As a parent or teacher, we must accept that the increasing desire to experiment is part of growing up – but not all kids are able to work easily through the risks and situations they face. While we cannot always be there to guide our children, we can make sure we prepare them in the best way possible by talking openly, discussing key issues and offering guidance on how to stay safe.

Knowing how to help your teen without seeming judgmental or out-of-touch is no simple task. That’s why renowned author and parenting expert Suzie Hayman is hosting an exclusive webchat that will make communicating with your kids on tricky subjects much easier and more successful. Suzie has established herself as an authority on teenage behaviour over a career spanning more than 20 years. As well as dispensing invaluable advice she’ll be taking your questions live online and telling you about a new website for parents of teens. Log on to the chat for the full story.

You still have time to submit a question for Suzie to answer, and the whole web chat can be viewed at this WebChats.tv page.

“Lazy Teens” image is a myth according to new study

Teenagers get a pretty rough time of it these days, it seems. There are so many negative stories in the news involving teenagers that it’s not surprising that the unhelpful stereotyping persists.

One label that many teenagers are keen to shake off is that of being lazy. A national survey of 3,500 16-19 year-olds found that nearly three-quarters wanted to be involved in positive activities including sports, other active pursuits, and music, as well as participating in youth groups and volunteering in the community.

Part of the problem seems to be a lack of opportunities – perceived or real – with nine out of ten teens saying that they spent a lot of their time hanging around with friends. Four in five said that there wasn’t enough to do where they lived, and they’d like to see more activities made available to them.

Nearly one in ten teens have part-time jobs, with another one in six keen to get them.

The survey was run by Teen Talk on behalf of the Department for Children Schools and Families, which has a ten-year strategy called “Aiming High for Young People” that seeks to increase young people’s participation in positive leisure time activities, and is investing £679m to create those opportunities.

DCSF minister for children, young people and families, Beverley Hughes, said, “It’s extremely important that we listen to what teenagers themselves are saying. The Teen Talk survey did just that, and showed that the vast majority of young people want to use their free time constructively. This puts paid to the all-too-familiar portrayal of them as only being interested in hanging around on the streets or playing computer games.”

DirectGov: activities for young people

Family-friendly social networking site accuses popular sites of profit before responsibility

EasySite.com, a subscription-based family-friendly social networking site, has called out the likes of Facebook and MySpace for putting revenue and profit before taking responsibility for the privacy and safety of their users.

They cite the usual horror stories of paedophiles stalking teenagers, false profiles, and compromising photographs.

“Sites like MySpace and Facebook choose popularity over responsibility. Popularity means more traffic, which means more ads served and ultimately more money,” saidSteve Sivulka, CEO of Easysite.com. “Easysite has chosen a different path. From day one we created Easysite as a family-friendly website builder with safety and security in mind.”

EasySite prides itself as being ad-free, instead being supported by users paying for the service itself.

Sivulka says that people don’t realise how expensive “free” really is, suggesting that most services are advertising based and place ads on pages the individual user may believe to be theirs.

“A friend of mine found this out the hard way,” he says. “After sending out a link to his newly created personal website, friends and family complained that pop-up ads with strippers on them were appearing on his site. Some ‘free’ services will even send out junk email (spam), sell your personal information to other companies, or track your movements online to better target ads to you.”

I’m all for the concept of more family-friendly sites like EasySite, but I’m a little concerned that they seem to suggest that they’re the solution, when in fact people placing reliance upon their services could still face problems elsewhere.

Firstly, EasySite can do nothing to stop someone else publishing false information about you on another social networking site, blog, or forum.

Neither can it stop other people from publishing compromising photographs of you, if in fact you got yourself into an embarrassing situation in the first place.

While it’s true that some sites like Facebook do target adverts based on what a user does, this isn’t much different to what supermarkets do based on your purchase history, or what companies who conduct consumer surveys do. While some adverts may be questionable, responsible sites don’t show porn. Neither should users be under any illusion that a profile page (such as that which would be set up on Facebook, Bebo, or MySpace) belongs to them.

Finally, while some users might be content to stay in “safe” sites like EasySite.com (and I personally don’t believe a 100% safe web site exists) there’s a whole Internet out there which many people want to explore. That’s the time children and adults need to know how to keep themselves safe.

Social networking sites should take more responsibility for protecting minors, particularly as preteens are using these sites even though they shouldn’t be.

Staying safe online requires parental knowledge and openness.

I’m all for sites like EasySite.com, but they’re only a part of the solution to a safer Internet experience.

Lads mags contribute to irresponsible behaviour and family breakdown, says Tory minister

Magazines aimed at young men, often featuring pictures of scantily-clad women and light articles about sex and sexual encounters, are contributing to irresponsible behaviour and the breakdown of family and society, according to the Shadow Education Secretary, Michael Gove.

Suggesting that they simply offer “instant-hit hedonism” during a speech on family, marriage, and education, he said, “Titles such as Nuts and Zoo paint a picture of women as permanently, lasciviously, uncomplicatedly available.

“We should ask those who make profits out of revelling in, or encouraging, selfish irresponsibility among young men what they think they’re doing.

“They celebrate thrill-seeking and instant gratification without ever allowing any thought of responsibility towards others, or commitment, to intrude.”

A spokesman for the Periodical Publishers Association said that the issues that Mr Gove raised were “deep and complex social issues which reach far wider than simply reading a magazine.”

Mr Gove continued his speech by saying that young men needed to face up to their responsibilities, which in turn could reduce social problems such as teenage pregnancies. He also reiterated the Conservative Party’s commitment to supporting marriage and family, including through financial help.

What do you think? Do “lads mags” contribute to problems in society, and if so how much?

(Via BBC News)

Parents failing to monitor children’s Internet usage, report finds

According to a recent survey from BroadbandChoices.co.uk, five out of six parents rely on verbal agreements to ensure their children use the Internet safely. That’s despite almost half of children using chatrooms (which, it has to be said, are not filled with paedophiles, but can still be dangerous if users aren’t careful), two in five using Facebook or MySpace, and half downloading software, music, or videos.

With the summer holidays here, children are likely to be spending more time in front of the computer, often unsupervised. This has implications not only for their safety, but also for how much the Internet broadband connection is being used.

With various measures coming into place regarding the illegal downloading of music and other material, in which the UK Government and Internet Service Providers would hold parents responsible for what their children download, parents could be letting themselves in for a shock.

Michael Phillips, Product Director, BroadbandChoices.co.uk, said, “We were surprised to learn that such a high proportion of parents heavily rely on verbal agreements to ensure their children’s online activities are safe and legal. Children are often more tech-savvy than their parents and the click of a mouse can take them anywhere. This research highlights the need for parents to be aware of the simple checks they can put in place to safeguard children who are increasingly using the internet to build new relationships.”

BroadbandChoices.co.uk recommends the following steps to help busy parents effectively monitor their childÂ’s online activity:

1. Parental control software: Some ISPs like AOL and BT offer parental controls as part of their service, while other users can get them with their antivirus and security suites. Parental controls allow you to block certain sites and keywords, apply different settings for different age groups, and monitor your child’s online activity. You can also use the Messenger Plus! program to keep a log of conversations they might be having using Instant Messenger.

2. Education: Completely banning older children from the Internet is unlikely to stop them from using chatrooms and social networking sites, so instead, explain why they need to be careful on the Internet and make sure they know never to give out personal information or meet strangers without an adult around.

3. All on one PC: Keeping the family computer in the living room is a great way of ensuring that your children stay safe online. They’re far less likely to spend time in chatrooms or downloading illegally if their parents are in the same room. Also, make sure that you’re set as the administrator on any PC in the home, so that only you can change the settings on your parental control software.

4. Antivirus and firewall software: Using security software to protect your PC will also protect your child from spam emails with inappropriate content, and phishing emails where they could give out personal information including bank details.

5. Monitor downloads: If youÂ’re concerned about the affect your children’s downloading is having on your monthly usage allowance, use a Download Monitor to keep an eye on downloads and set alarms to alert you when you near your limit.

BroadbandChoices.co.uk’s download monitor can be accessed at http://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/broadband-download-monitor.html

Bygone toys could help alleviate back pain in children

The summer holidays are upon us, a time which sees many children glued to TVs, slumped over computers and lounging around the house for up to six weeks.

According to market research by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA), back pain in the UK has risen by a staggering 5% since last year and in another poll, the BCA revealed that nearly half (44%) of 16-24 year-olds suffer from back pain.

BCA Chiropractor Tim Hutchful commented, “We are concerned that the incidence of back pain has grown so dramatically amongst young people. In 2004, less than one in five young people were suffering, now that figure has risen to every other young person in the UK having some form of back pain, which is of serious concern.”

To help alleviate the incidence of increased back pain, the BCA is encouraging the nation to look to the past and ‘bring backÂ’ some of those well-loved toys and get active again. By inviting the nation to leave behind their lazy lifestyles, ditch the computer games and engage in some outdoor activities, the BCA is looking to the toys that kept our parents and grandparents amused for hours, to assist in alleviating the UK’s ongoing back problems.

• Skipping Ropes: assist with fitness and improves balance
• Hula Hoops: helps core stability and helps increase mobility of the spine, as well as toning abdominal muscles
• Space Hoppers: strengthens the spine, improves core stability
• Bat & Ball: important in improving hand and eye co-ordination (it is amazing how many people have difficulty catching these days!)

By providing activity for all the family, these retro toys are not only fun to play with, they can also help promote and strengthen your posture as well as improve your general fitness levels.

Chiropractor Tim Hutchful continues, “We want to educate people about how making a few simple lifestyle changes can help to reduce the risk of back pain as well as making you feel and look better. Using any of the toys mentioned or incorporating a very simple three minute exercise routine entitled “Straighten Up UK” into your daily lives will help to strengthen your spine and improve your posture.”

Straighten Up UK is a simple, three minute posture care programme designed to help you feel and look your best. The programme is divided into three quick sessions:

• Stars (warm up)
• Flying Friends (posture care)
• Core Balance (to finish off the session)

By promoting balance, strength and flexibility in your spine, the risk of getting problems with your back now and in the future can be substantially reduced.

The exercise routine is available to download from www.straightenupuk.org or for more information and a free Straighten Up leaflet visit www.chiropractic-uk.co.uk.

UK Government to crack down on underage drinking, targeting parents, but it’s not that easy

The British Government has announced plans to tackle the increasing problem of underage drinking, and is planning to prosecute parents who allow their children to drink in public.

If proposals became law, anyone under the age of 18 “regularly” found with alcohol on their possession could face getting an ASBO (Anti-Social Behaviour Order).

Parents who are unable to change their ways could either be prosecuted, or sent on parenting courses. However, the problem isn’t that simple, say a number of parents as well as opposition ministers.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said that, “parents must play their role. I want to see greater use of parenting orders and parenting contracts and anti-social behaviour orders when young people are caught persistently drinking in public. If parents and children need to meet a trained worker to get them back on the right track then so be it.”

I know that the police will already move on groups of teenagers who are, or have the potential, to cause a nuisance, particularly as a result of alcohol.

Of course parenting plays a role in a child’s upbringing, but there are so many other factors that influence someone’s attitude to and consumption of alcohol – the increasing number of “alcopops” and other “soft” alcoholic drinks, peer pressure from friends, portrayal of alcohol in the media and popular TV, and the increasingly ingrained drinking culture are key issues.

Legislation may look good on paper, and may prove to be somewhat effective, but the real issues run deep in society, and unfortunately even good parenting doesn’t always protect children.

The Government also plans to draw up guidelines for how much alcohol it is safe for children to consume under supervision of their parents at home.

(Via BBC News)

Protect Your Adolescents Against More Than Just A Cold This Winter

As a parent, you often take extra health precautions to protect your child from “winter” illnesses such as colds and the flu, but the National Meningitis Association (NMA) wants to be sure you know about one preventative health measure that is often overlooked – vaccination against meningococcal disease.

Meningococcal disease, commonly called meningitis, is a potentially deadly bacterial infection that can strike adolescents and young adults. The disease moves quickly and can lead to death or permanent disability, such as brain damage, organ failure or limb amputations, within hours of first symptoms. While meningococcal disease can occur at any point throughout the year, cases peak in the late-winter and early-spring months reinforcing the importance of seeking vaccination this time of year rather than waiting for back-to-school physicals.

Read more

Top 10 health topics parents wish their doctor would discuss with kids

A recent study has discovered the most important topics that parents would like their doctor to talk to their teenage children about during routine check-ups.

While there were differences between different ethnic groups and genders, these were the top ten most popular subjects overall:

1. Diet/nutrition
2. Exercise/sports
3. Physical changes of puberty
4. Drug use
5. Tobacco use
6. Sexually transmitted disease
7. Depression/suicide
8. Obesity
9. Drinking
10. Eating disorders

Read more

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