Covid-era gaps in middle-school sex education may raise teen sexual health risks, study finds

A Brown University study presented as an abstract ahead of the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference suggests that seventh graders who received sexual education in 2023-2024, after Covid-19 shutdowns, expressed more negative beliefs or feelings about sexual health than peers taught in 2018-2019. The researchers note that interest in the topic remained, but attitudes shifted in ways that could hinder applying knowledge to safe behaviors.

In the study, students completed an eight-lesson sexual education program and then answered a survey about their experience. Two cohorts were compared: one from the 2018-2019 school year and another from 2023-2024. Parker Haddock, a Brown medical student who led the work, said, "Middle schoolers are learning the facts about sexual health, but that's only half of the battle. If we want students to make healthy choices, we need to teach sexual health in ways that foster not just knowledge, but belief and confidence, and result in real-world application."

The findings arrive amid broader concerns about adolescent sexual health. A World Health Organization study published in 2023 across 41 countries found that condom use among sexually active 15-year-olds declined from 2014 to 2022, with boys reporting 61 percent using a condom at last intercourse in 2022 compared with 70 percent in 2014, and girls reporting 57 percent versus 63 percent in the same periods. In the United States, CDC data show that chlamydia, the most common STD, rose 3.2 percent among 15- to 19-year-olds in 2023.

Experts say adolescents remain at higher risk for sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, and unhealthy relationships due to ongoing risk-taking behaviors. The study’s authors noted that the pandemic-era shift to virtual sex education presented trade-offs: some teachers reported greater student anonymity and engagement, but others cited reduced access to resources and uncertainty about how many students were actually engaging with the material. The abstract did not specify which states or districts were involved or detail the exact curriculum used.

Policy context supports ongoing emphasis on sex education, though states vary in requirements. About 32 states mandate some form of sex education, 34 require HIV instruction, and roughly 31 require instruction on child abuse prevention. A 2025 Planned Parenthood survey found broad parental support for middle- and high-school sex education, with 84 percent endorsing it in middle school and 96 percent in high school. Beyond school settings, surveys indicate changing sexual behavior among young adults: a 2023 study found about one in four people aged 18 to 30 had not had sexual intercourse, with concerns about infection, judgment, and consequences influencing decisions.

The study from Brown University was described as an abstract ahead of the conference presentation, and it was not immediately clear whether it had undergone peer review. Details such as the specific course content, the instructional format, and the geographic locations involved were not disclosed. The research was partly funded by HRSA’s Family Medicine Health Resources and Services Administration and The Warren Alpert Medical School Student Senate Funding Board. Haddock underscored the need for evolution in sexual health curricula: "Sexual health curriculum needs to evolve so it can meet students where they are at and give them the tools they will need."