Introduction: Sex education is a starting point for creating models of family coexistence and parenting. It supports the acquisition of knowledge, the formation of attitudes towards sex, the development of gender identity, and promotes responsible behavior in intimate relationships. For maximum effectiveness, sex education should begin early, before young people reach puberty and before they establish behavioral patterns.
The aim of the present study is to investigate and analyze the opinions of adolescents from two age groups regarding where they get information related to sexual health and which sources have the strongest impact on improving their awareness of sexual health.
Materials and Methods: A survey was conducted among 244 students from schools in the Sliven region. The survey was administered during the class teacher’s lesson.
Results: Adolescents in the 13–15 age group identified social media and the Internet as their primary source of information (54.60%), followed by friends (51.30%) and books (21.80%). In the 16–18 age group, students indicated that their primary source of information was friends (50.40%), followed by social media and the Internet (36.10%), and conversations with a parent, mainly the mother (30.30%).
Conclusion: It is crucial that access to information is not delayed but provided as early as possible, in a manner appropriate to adolescents' physical and psycho-emotional maturity. Awareness and knowledge form the foundation of attitudes and help shape behavior.
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