Sexual-themed content and its linkages with education: views and practices of students in Pakistan

The foundation of sex education is addressing topics around human sexuality and other sexual behavior, such as birth control, emotional relationships, rights and duties for reproduction, abstinence, and consent. The purpose of this study is to examine the current status of sex education in Pakistan by arguing for its necessity and establishing whether or not viewing adult-themed television in Pakistan is linked to a lack of sex education. Participants in the sample 151, who ranged in age from 16 to 24, were both male and female at a 95% confidence level. An online questionnaire was the instrument utilized in this study to gather data. Chi square analysis was utilized to establish a link between seeing adult-themed media and a lack of sex education. The study was carried out from August to December 2024, a period of five months. A safe sample size of 151 was taken into consideration due to a low response rate. The sample size that was estimated to obtain an acceptable confidence level of 95% was 369 using the formula n=(1.96)2pq/(0.05)2, where p was taken as 0.6 via literature search (nearly 25 searches). All tests were considered significant at p > 0.05. Only 46 (30.5%) out of 151 participants received sex education.Out of the options for what the respondent was informed or instructed to learn about sex education, 12 (7.9%) selected ‘’puberty and adolescence’’, and 116 (76.8%) said they felt uncomfortable discussing sex education with their parents or guardians. 102 individuals, or 67.5%, reported watching content with an adult theme. The study’s conclusions demonstrate that young people are interested in learning more about their sexual health and that inadequate sex education does cause curiosity to grow. This curiosity is then satiated by searching the internet, which frequently directs the seeker to pornography and other adult-themed content.