Teen Boys Taught How to 'Safely Choke Their Girlfriends During Sex'

A council-funded sex education presentation shown in schools to teenagers as young as 14 has told them how to ‘safely’ choke their girlfriends during sex, saying it must always be done “with consent”. The Mail has more.

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 okay 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 okay.“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 okay. 

There is a rampant myth that choking can be done safely and is simply another option for a sexual act.”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 behaviour, 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% were between the ages 12 and 17 the first time choking happened. During a previous survey, the figure was far fewer at 25% (or one in four).

Worth reading in full.