The most talked about sexuality on social networks
In France, 571 publications per minute on the internet talk about sex.
The French are fond of emojis with sexual connotations, they are among the most used on social networks.
There are approximately 7.2 million posts with the peach emoji, 2.7 million with the banana and 2.1 million with the acronym under 18 years old. These symbols may seem innocuous, but these emojis are used to allude to sex. 🍆🍌🍑🔞
Most teenagers own a smartphone, tablet or computer. With these tools at their fingertips and few or no limits to their use, they have access to a wealth of information relating to sexuality.
Nowadays, social networks allow young people to free their speech, to express themselves with less “embarrassment”, to debate with people who come from afar, of different ages.
The movements set up in recent years on the internet have led to body positive, the acceptance of different genders, different sexualities… But above all the evolution of the place of women in society.
Showing up on the networks with hair, stretch marks, cellulite: it's becoming more and more common and normal (because it is), good for us! 👌
Between hashtags, publications, accounts or messaging, sex is becoming less taboo on the internet. It no longer belongs only to men as it has for a very long time. Sexual discourse on the Internet is approaching parity: 52% of women and 48% of men, despite the fact that women are much more at ease on this subject.
There are also more and more Twitter and Instagram accounts of "intimate confessions" on the craziest sexual experiences, this can make some people laugh but also reassure others.
The emergence of the #MeToo and #Balancetonporc movements on social networks has changed the way of approaching sexuality. Internet users talk about consent, pansexuality, female pleasure. For ten years, the clitoris has been in the videos of youtubers and youtubeuses, around female pleasure, female desire.
On TikTok, accounts dedicated to talking about sex are appearing: gynecologists, doctors; and when you look at the comments: you don't expect so many teenagers to react, ask questions, debate... Things that you might think are "banal" or known to everyone are not finally not: sex during menstruation, endometriosis, vaginismus and much more...
Social networks also help to remove the distorted and unrealistic view of porn:
- The vision of the "perfect" woman, tanned, muscular, hairless
- Male pleasure and enjoyment highlighted
- The ease of having an orgasm for a woman (often simulated in X movies)
- The fact that there is a "standard" size of breasts, penis, lips
- The fact that you have to do everything you see in the movies
All of this is wrong! Each body is different, the pleasure of the woman is just as important as that of the man, women should not feel obliged to enjoy, sex should be something natural and not superficial, fake.
LACK OF INFORMATION AT SCHOOL
Sex education: gaps in education. 📚
In high school, the topics covered are procreation, puberty, how the reproductive systems work, how to have a child and contraception... Each lesson therefore addresses the subject in its own way. In SVT we will talk about the meeting between the egg and the spermatozoon, in French it will be about the feeling of love for example.
Having had little sex education in class, the young people found themselves without reliable sources of information, hence the fact that they turned to the internet.
But these are lessons. These are not moments of discussion . Impossible to set up mediations, important moments for expression, but also to recall the law and define consent.
It is essential to create a space to talk about sexuality with professionals, to encourage everyone to understand their own limits and those of the other, to respect their own pace and that of the other. In several European countries, psychologists or family planning social workers come to schools to talk about sex and relationship education. In each institution, referent teachers should be trained and available when a need for discussion may arise.
Masturbation and any form of learning personal enjoyment have no place in the program. Until the last college reform (2017), no trace of the existence of the clitoris in school textbooks when the question of intimate anatomy is addressed.
However, at this age, teenagers discover themselves and need to know that it is normal to explore their body, their desires, their preferences, there is no shame in this. They have to understand how their body works, it's essential.
Testimony of a young woman faced with masturbation: “It allowed me to normalize the fact that my body had changed since my childhood. That yes, it's normal, and no, it's not disgusting. »
Anna, 18 years old, franceinfo
To counter this lack of information among teens, many young content creators answer questions and share their advice on sexuality. Camille Aumont-Carnel, created the page on Instagram @Jemenbatsleclito . From the start of the next school year, she will go to the classrooms to exchange directly with the students, do prevention, answer questions...
So YES , it's important to talk about sexuality on the networks, but you still have to be vigilant about false information.
It opens conversations, debates, it informs and above all, it reassures .
