Planned Parenthood Debuts New Video Series for Young People on Consent

New York, NY ─ Today, Planned Parenthood Federation of America released a series of four new videos to educate young people about consent that model the skills they need to communicate and negotiate in relationships.

“As the nation’s largest provider of sex education, Planned Parenthood is committed to helping young people make good decisions and engage in healthy relationships,” said Dr. Leslie Kantor, vice president of education at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “To address sexual assault in this country and move us toward a healthy culture of consent, young people must understand consent and have the skills to engage in healthy communication around sex and relationships. Open, honest communication between partners is necessary to ensure that sex is safe and mutually consensual, which is a skill that can be learned. Education about consent is sexual assault prevention.”

You can view all four videos here.

The videos are geared for older teens and young adults (17-22), and explain and model what consent is and what it looks like in different situations and relationships. The videos are different from most of what is available on this topic in that they address both verbal and non-verbal cues.  Organizations and schools working with older high school and college-age youth are encouraged to use the videos in their work.  Planned Parenthood has also developed lesson plans to accompany the videos; anyone interested in the lesson plans can e-mail [email protected].  The videos will also be promoted directly to young people searching online for information about sex and relationships.

The four videos are:

• “How do you know if someone wants to have sex with you?” – the first video is an overview of what consent is (and isn't)
• “When you know they’re into it” – this video shows what enthusiastic consent looks like
• “When they’re kinda into it” – this video shows what it looks like to stop and check in to get clarity on consent
• “When they’re just not into it” – the last video shows what it looks like to respectfully hear a "no"

In conversations around sexual assault prevention, there has been huge emphasis on telling people that they must obtain consent – but very little to illustrate what it looks like.

“When it comes to sexual encounters in film or television, models of consent and healthy communication during sexual intimacy are rare,” Kantor said. “Many times on screen, partners engage in sexual behavior without talking about what they want, what they’re comfortable with, or using protection. This means young people have very few examples of giving, hearing, and asking for consent. Planned Parenthood designed these new videos to be fun and sexy, as well as educational.”

A Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation poll among current and recent college students on the “yes means yes” standard of consent found major differences in students’ understanding of consent. For example, when asked if different scenarios constituted consent for sex (undressing, getting a condom, or nodding), at least 40 percent of students responded that these actions were consent — and at least 40 percent said they were not.

“Innovative approaches using technology can help reach young people who aren’t receiving sex education or can supplement education young people are receiving from their parents and in schools,” Kantor added. “Planned Parenthood is developing innovative ways to use technology to meet young people where they are in order to help them navigate decision making about relationships and sexual health.”

Across the country, Planned Parenthood provides sex education that includes information about and opportunities for young people to learn the communication, negotiation and refusal skills they need. As the nation’s largest provider of sex education, Planned Parenthood works in schools and communities across the country to provide programs and outreach, reaching 1.5 million people a year.

Today’s technology makes it possible for young people looking for information to access it in multiple ways, and Planned Parenthood is committed to providing accurate, nonjudgmental information on sexual and reproductive health to as many people as possible, where they are online. This video series joins Planned Parenthood’s other digital and mobile tools designed to get young people health information when they need it — no matter where they are.

• Planned Parenthood’s innovative chat/text program enables young people to correspond with trained staff via IM or text messages with urgent questions about birth control, emergency contraception, pregnancy, and STDs, reaching them with critical information about sex and health in moments of intense worry when they are in need of fast, confidential help. The program has now reached nearly 475,000 people.
• Young people can find information on PlannedParenthood.org’s Info for Teens page and submit questions to the Planned Parenthood Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With approximately 700 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.