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International Journal of Sexual Health Volume 25, 2013 - Issue 4
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Original Articles

Adolescents’ Use of the Internet for Sex Education: A Thematic and Critical Review of the Literature

Laura Simon Department of Informatics and Media, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
&
Kristian Daneback Department of Social Work, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden
Pages 305-319 | Received 11 Mar 2013, Accepted 01 Jul 2013, Published online: 11 Oct 2013
 
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Abstract

ABSTRACT. A thematic and critical literature review was conducted to determine what is known about adolescents’ experiences with online sex education. Four major themes could be discerned from the literature, revealing that: (a) adolescents report engaging with sex information online; (b) adolescents are interested in a number of topics, including sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy; (c) the quality of adolescent-targeted sex information online can be lacking, but adolescents can evaluate these sources; and (d) Internet-based interventions can increase adolescents’ sexual health knowledge. Inconsistencies in the literature are discussed and suggestions are made for future research.

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