A council-funded sex education PowerPoint shown to teenagers referenced asking for consent before choking a partner.
The material, funded by Bridgend county borough council in south Wales, was shown to pupils studying PSHE lessons at a range of secondary schools.
Provided by the council’s domestic abuse service, Assia, the PowerPoint, which was seen by The Times, taught children that ‘consent (when it comes to choking during sex) should happen every time sexual choking is an option’.
‘It is never OK to start choking someone without asking them first and giving them space to say no,’ it continued.
Experts, however, have shared their deep concern at the sex education class which they say is portraying the idea that ‘choking can be done safely’.
‘This is not sex education, this is just advocacy for the porn industry,’ Michael Conroy, the founder of Men at Work, told The Times.
‘Imagine you are a 14-year-old girl and you have told your boyfriend you don’t want to be choked but then an authority figure comes into school and tells you it is OK.
‘Choking cuts off oxygen to the brain and is incredibly harmful, it can even kill. Most schools will take it on trust that something endorsed by the local authority is OK. There is a rampant myth that choking can be done safely and is simply another option for a sexual act.’
A council-funded sex education PowerPoint shown to teenagers referenced asking for consent before choking a partner
There has been a disturbing rise in teenage boys demanding rough sex, including choking, in recent years
Almost two-thirds of women who responded to one survey said they had been choked by a partner during sex
There has indeed been a disturbing rise in teenage boys demanding rough sex, including choking, in recent years.
A recent survey by Dr. Debby Herbenick, known to be one of the foremost researchers on American sexual behavior, questioned 5,000 women anonymously at a ‘major Midwestern university,’ the New York Times reported.
Almost two-thirds of women who responded said they had been choked by a partner during sex – but an even more worryingly statistic emerged: 40 percent were between the ages 12 and 17 the first time choking happened.
During a previous survey, the figure was far fewer at 25 percent (or one in four).
Peggy Orenstein, a sexuality researcher and college professor, recalled having two students, 15 and 16, ask her about choking during sex.
One 15-year-old boy worryingly said: ‘Why do girls all want to be choked?’
Some have actually blamed popular culture for the rise in choking during sex.
Choking has been depicted in a range of television shows, including the pilot of the HBO’s Euphoria – where a high school was choked.
Peggy Orenstein, a sexuality researcher and college professor has noted the rise in the choking phenomenon during sex
In last year’s single, by Jack Harlow, ‘Lovin On Me’ begins with the lyrics: ‘I’m vanilla baby, I’ll choke you, but I ain’t no killer, baby.’
And a hit single last year by American rapper Jack Harlow titled ‘Lovin On Me’ begins with the lyrics: ‘I’m vanilla baby, I’ll choke you, but I ain’t no killer, baby.’
Bridgend county borough council strongly denied that they had funded education which ‘taught children to consent to damaging sexual behaviour’.
A council spokesman said: ‘The suggestion that children are being taught to consent to damaging sexual behaviour is simply not true.
‘All pastoral advice used by local schools is carefully designed to be age-appropriate, and to encourage teenagers who are maturing into young adults to develop healthy, respectful relationships where there is no abuse of any kind.
‘Bridgend County Borough Council takes its safeguarding responsibilities very seriously, and anyone who approaches the Assia domestic abuse service regarding this issue will be informed that non-fatal strangulation remains an illegal, dangerous criminal act.’
In a reply on X to a now-deleted post regarding the sex education class, Bridgend county borough council wrote: ‘Your post regarding Bridgend County Borough Council’s Assia Domestic Abuse Service is factually incorrect and causing widespread misinformation.’
