In classrooms across the UK, interactive workshops are being used to educate teenagers about consent and healthy relationships amid rising reports of sexual offences involving young people. These sessions, led by organizations such as the SOS Project at St Giles Trust, present scenarios in which young people must navigate complex situations. One example involves a teenage girl who is kissed and intimately touched by a boy after she says “no,” highlighting issues of consent and the challenges young people face understanding when boundaries are crossed.
Dr. Junior Smart, founder of the SOS Project, said many girls attending the workshops admitted they would “just go through with it,” despite the behaviour being classified as a sexual offence by legal standards. Some boys expressed beliefs that suggest misunderstanding or denial of consent, such as the idea that a refusal was not genuine or that girls secretly desire these encounters. These attitudes underscore the difficulty in addressing sexual violence among teens and emphasize the importance of education on these topics.
Metropolitan Police data show a slight increase in teen-on-teen sexual offences in the capital, with 1,068 offences recorded in 2025 compared to 1,039 in 2024. Between January and July this year, 718 offences were recorded. National figures from the Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme indicate that half of the 81,659 child sexual abuse and exploitation offences reported in 2024 were committed by children aged 10 to 17. Campaigners argue this rise partially reflects increased awareness and willingness to report these offences.
Janaya Walker, interim director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, highlighted the influence of misogynistic and violent content readily available to young people online, including pornography that often depicts strangulation and other forms of violence. Research has shown that more than half of 16 to 34-year-olds have experienced or perpetrated strangulation during sex. Walker described this trend as “entirely preventable” and called for enhanced education efforts.
Daniel Thompson, the Metropolitan Police’s lead officer for rape and serious sexual offences, underlined the importance of helping young victims recognize when behaviour amounts to a criminal offence. Thompson pointed to choking as an example, emphasizing the severe risks involved. Following a government-led review in 2021 that found conviction rates had declined, police across England and Wales implemented Operation Soteria, a new investigative approach intended to be victim-centred and context-led. All 43 forces adopted this model by mid-2023, and while conviction rates have begun to rise, experts call for sustained funding and broader adoption of recommendations to improve women’s safety.
The debate over influences on young people’s attitudes towards sex also includes discussions about the role of pornography. Pornographic actress Bonnie Blue, who has previously recruited teenagers to participate in adult content, has faced criticism for perpetuating harmful sexual norms. She has stated that her responsibility is limited to consensual adult participation and rejected claims that her content causes fear or skewed expectations among young people.
In response to these challenges, the UK government announced plans to ban social media access for under-16s by spring 2027 and pledged to make sex and relationship education compulsory up to age 18. However, no timeline has been provided for the education mandate’s full implementation. Advocates argue that comprehensive education is crucial to preventing sexual violence and that criminal justice interventions alone are insufficient to address the root causes affecting young people’s understanding of consent and healthy relationships.