Sex education is mandatory in only 30 U.S. states. Out of those 30 states, only 22 require it to be medically accurate.
While Indiana does require sex education, it also requires abstinence as a topic of instruction and usually leaves out topics such as gender identity, consent, pleasure and non-heterosexual sex. To fill in the gaps in their education, some IU students are turning to the internet for answers on basic anatomy and intercourse.
Though it may be surprising that an app known for dance trends also has comprehensive sex ed, TikTok has become a popular place for students to learn what their schools didn’t teach.
Sexuality professionals, ranging from sex therapists to educators and doctors, are taking to the app to create accessible, fact-based videos on mulitple aspects of human sexuality. These creators leave their comment sections open and often make videos responding to questions their audience leaves there.
Raygan Savage, a sophomore psychology major at IU and Indianapolis native, said learning sex ed through this medium is less intimidating.
“It feels more comfortable to learn on an app instead of a classroom,” Savage said. “You can comment behind a screen where no one knows you instead of raising your hand and asking a question out loud.”
Some students, mainly those with vaginas, have expressed that they wish there was more of a focus on pleasure in grade school. Now, they are getting that lost information on TikTok.
Julia Derheimer, a counseling psychology major at IU from Fort Wayne, Indiana, appreciates the ability to learn about pleasure in a non-sexualized way.
“Just seeing videos about different pleasure points and how to help women reach orgasms is helpful and validating,” Derheimer said. “Especially when it is really clinical and not trying to be sexualized. It’s just there to teach.”
Savage also finds informative videos about pleasure to be helpful to watch.
“As someone who identifies as a gay woman, it has helped with understanding my pleasure and my partner’s,” Savage said.
Since TikTok is an audio-visual social media platform, it appeals to people who do not consider themselves textual learners. This is something senior Olivia DeCrane said she appreciates about learning sex ed through TikTok.
“Growing up, I had to learn a lot about sex through websites like Tumblr and Yahoo Answers, which isn’t very reliable and were text based,” Decrane said. “Because TikTok is made up of videos, it’s really helpful to see that visual representation, especially when looking at pleasurable positions or parts of a vagina.”
While TikTok may not be the perfect platform for sexual education, as there is always a danger of misinformation on the internet, it is home to many sexuality professionals that are there to help and educate. Many of these professionals have their websites and degrees in their account bio to help users easily find out if they are credible.
Until there is more of an emphasis and importance put on fact-based, well-funded comprehensive sex education in this country, TikTok is a great stand-in for people of all ages.
