It's not just about bananas.

It's back-to-school season and young people across the country are returning to classrooms.

But can you believe that 47 states do not require sex education, and that there is no standard federal sex education curriculum?

Even more troubling, the very existence of medically accurate sex ed is under attack:

• 17 states rely solely on abstinence-only education (Reminder: Telling kids to abstain until marriage is not sex education!).
• In 2024, so far more than 135 state bills related to sex education have been introduced or enacted — and most seek to restrict sex ed in public schools.

Here's what lawmakers who push these harmful policies don't understand — young people need sex education; it's vital to their self esteem to learn about consent, setting boundaries, and healthy relationship skills.

Take a look at Planned Parenthood's crash course about why young people need strong medically accurate and culturally responsive sex ed curriculum in school:

Your sexual experiences are directly shaped by media and society's ideas about sex, gender, and race — that can lead stigma and shame around sexual health and relationships.

Medically accurate sex ed is critical because it can affirm the identities and experiences of young people and gives them tools to lead healthier futures.

Among many skills, sex education teaches young people how to identify safe environments. That can mean learning to confide in a trusted adult if they experience abuse and intimate partner violence.

Sex education can also teach young people what healthy vs. unhealthy relationships look like.

Read more about sex education on our blog.

Evidence-based sex education leads to lower rates of STIs and unintended pregnancies among young people.

In states that solely teach abstinence-until-marriage, the rates of STIs and unintended pregnancies are higher. This is because programs like these generally leave out important information about pregnancy and STD prevention as well as exaggerate the risk of contraceptives not working.

Did you know that you can chat with a Planned Parenthood health educator online?

In addition to spreading misinformation, lawmakers in states across the country have enacted laws that restrict sex education:

• 11 states have no legal requirements for HIV education to be taught in schools. And of states that do require it, less than half require that it be medically accurate.
• Some states, like Kentucky, ban any form of sex education before middle school (here's why it should start in elementary school!)
• 4 states explicitly require negative information be taught about LGBTQ+ people.

These programs fail our young people. They don't provide valuable lessons about relationships and sexual health. And they take away resources from more sound programs that provide medically accurate, culturally responsive, and evidenced-based information.

Evidence-based, age-appropriate sex education in schools is critical to young people's development and wellness.

It's important for students to learn about topics like puberty and STI prevention as well as about boundaries, bullying, and self-esteem.

Learn more about why kids need sex ed from Dr. Sara Flowers, Planned Parenthood's vice president of education, in her interview with PBS NewsHour.