More women learn about sex on social media than in school
New Report from Flo Foundation shows troubling aspects of modern information landscape
More than six in 10 young women say that they learned more about women’s health on social media than they did in high school. That’s according to a new survey put together by Flo Health.
The report was titled Failed Foundations: The Women’s Health Crisis in Post-Roe America. It showed troubling statistics that show many women aren’t adequately informed about reproductive topics. It serves as a compelling argument for greater sex education and more reliable resources–possibly put together on a database and then popularized to the point where it became the go-to source for trusted information.
Dangerous information sources are filling in the gaps. One in five women goes to Youtube, online forums or social media to gather information on menstrual health. There are other misconceptions that have spread as well.
Flo Health found that the majority of US women first learned about their menstrual cycle from a parental figure (34%) or school-provided health classes (18%). Two-thirds of women (60%) gathered information on women’s health online through outlets including search engines, YouTube, social media, online forums, and the internet. A staggering 45% of women say they learned more about women’s health from social media than they did in school. That figure rises to 63% among women aged 18 to 24.
The other aspect that I found fascinating was the fact that “critical thinking” isn’t enough to ward off misinformation. Experts now agree that the research shows that social media platforms are built to amplify misinformation because of their built-in reward system. The goal is to keep people on their platform, and shocking content is more likely to be posted or reshared.
There are also some strange myths spreading about reproductive topics. TikTok users claim that caffeine can make it more likely that you’ll have a boy if you’re trying to conceive. Many people say ridding the world of birth control will address weight gain, anxiety and infertility.
Overall, Women are also surprised by the gaps in their education. Seventy-six percent of women reported that they have learned something new about women’s health as an adult that they were surprised wasn’t covered when they were younger.