Hundreds of women have taken to social media to share their dire experiences of sex education using the hashtag #sexpectations.
With Twitter users of all ages discussing how they were not taught about consent, contraception or LGBT relationships, the hashtag has revealed the shocking reality of sex ed in some UK schools.
The thread, started by the Women’s Equality Party, comes on the same day that a cross-party group of MPs called on Education Secretary Justine Greening in an open letter to bring about compulsory and inclusive sex and relationships education (SRE).
“We want this to be the last Valentine’s day young people have to navigate without proper SRE,” a spokesperson for the party said, which also co-signed the letter.
“It is reckless to expect our children to navigate the complexities of consent, respect, sexting and online porn without proper guidance and support.”
They added: “By sharing our ideas and experiences today, we want to show this government that education is the only way to make sex and relationships safe, healthy and fun.”
Many people took to Twitter to share their experiences:
More than 45,000 people have signed a petition calling on Greening to make SRE mandatory for all UK teens - not just those in state-run schools.
Parliament is set to vote on an amendment to the Children and Social Work bill later this month that could see schoolchildren given age-appropriate, inclusive and religiously diverse SRE.