According to a pro-family group, most parents don't know that many health organizations and schools are offering websites and texting services to reach adolescents with information about sex.
Smaller school budgets and other factors have reportedly inspired the creation of sites and services like Sex-Ed Loop or the Planned Parenthood-run text-chat program, ICYC (In Case You're Curious). These texting and web services provide young users with information on sexual acts, diseases, and contraception. While critics say the information only promotes unsafe sex, advocates claim research proves the contrary. Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council (FRC) says he is troubled by the fact they are set up to elude parental scrutiny.
"Even beyond that, these sources of information do not have the kind of oversight that schools might have," he notes. "Certainly we have problems with some of the sex education that goes on in public schools, but at least there is a certain amount of vetting that takes place there."
According to The New York Times, Stephanie Cisneros, a Denver-area high school junior, likes ICYC because of its "immediacy and confidentiality." But as Sprigg points out, it is difficult, if not impossible, for parents to monitor this activity.
"If their children have their own cell phone with texting capability, or particularly with Internet capability, then I'm not sure they can protect them," he laments.
To counteract the barrage of risk reduction-only messages, Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Education Association hopes her organization will kick off its own online service by next year.
Contact: Bob Kellogg
Source: OneNewsNow
