What’s trending in the world of teens and their sex lives? In this episode of the Where Parents talk podcast host Lianne Castelino dives into the pressing concerns around adolescent sexual health, focusing on the alarming decline in condom usage and the rise of sexually transmitted infections among young people in Canada.
Dr. Sarah Flicker, a professor at York University, discusses how hormonal changes, device usage, and social media influence teenagers’ understanding of relationships and consent. As the pandemic disrupted vital sex education, many youth missed critical opportunities to learn about their physical and emotional health.
Through open communication and guidance, parents can help their teens navigate these complex issues, fostering a sense of independence while ensuring they have access to accurate information and support.
DR. SARAH FLICKER
Full Professor, York University
Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change
York Research Chair, Community-Based Participatory Research
Research focus: adolescent sexual and reproductive health
Mother of 2
yorku.ca/lamarsh/sarah-flicker
“I think when we’re talking about teenagers and their sex lives, we’re seeing a generation of teenagers who are empowered online, know a lot about sexuality and sex from what they’re doing online, whether that’s social media or accessing pornography or chatting with their friends, and who are making, choices about how to enact those in their real lives in different kinds of ways than certainly we saw youth from a generation ago, and we are certainly seeing a spike in sexually transmitted infections among teenagers. We’re seeing changes in how they’re approaching or thinking about condom use.”