Adolescents’ access to accurate sexual health information has been compromised both in schools and online, with new research showing diminished classroom engagement post–COVID-19 and widespread misinformation on TikTok. Findings were presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition in Denver.

In one study, seventh-grade students who completed an eight-lesson sexual health curriculum in 2018-2019 and 2023-2024 both demonstrated statistically significant gains in knowledge across five domains: communication and consent, sexual health decision-making and safe sex practices, healthy relationships, puberty and reproductive health, and gender identity and sexual orientation. However, while pre-pandemic students showed corresponding improvements in beliefs about sexual health practices, post-pandemic students did not. The 2023-2024 cohort’s attitudes and beliefs remained unchanged despite equivalent knowledge acquisition, reporting more negatively on sexual health topics.

Lead author Parker Haddock, a medical student at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, said the data indicate that “middle schoolers are learning the facts about sexual health, but that’s only half of the battle.”

A second study examined sexual health information on TikTok, analyzing 100 top English-language videos under 10 keywords with a newly created account simulating a 15-year-old user. Of the videos reviewed, 58% were created by health care professionals, with only 3.4% of these containing inaccuracies, compared with about 21% among videos by nonprofessionals. Abortion-related content was especially unreliable, with nearly 27% of such videos containing inaccuracies compared with 4% of other health-related videos. Lead author Angeli Sirilan, a medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix, said the prevalence of misinformation underscores the need for stronger media literacy and platform accountability.

The classroom study was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration, Rhode Island Area Health Education Center, Peterson Educational Enhancement Fund, and the Warren Alpert Medical School Student Senate Funding Board. The TikTok analysis did not report external funding.

Sources:

COVID Pandemic Disrupted Sex Ed for Middle School Students

Over 20% of Sexual Health-Related TikToks Contained Inaccurate Information