The way we talk about HIV in public health has changed over the last decade or so. What once was a deadly disease that killed millions of people, has now become a chronic illness that many live with everyday. This is in part due to the advancements in medicines, drugs, and testing for HIV, along with methods for preventing new HIV diagnoses. These medicines include PrEP and PEP. Let’s break those meds down now, so you’ll have the tools to talk with your kids about them.

Today’s Blog Post was written by our Talk More Intern, Kaisa Sazama-Framil

Let’s talk about something incredibly important for young people—and it’s not just for adults: self breast and chest exams. Yep, you read that right! Although breast cancer is more common in older adults, building the habit of regularly checking your chest and breast tissue is one of the best ways to know your body, and we’re here to tell you why it’s so empowering for teens and young adults.

Today’s Blog Post was written by our Talk More Intern, Annika Detweiler

GUESS WHAT? The results of the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) just came out! This survey is completed every other year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and highlights key health behaviors for high school students in the U.S. 

Now, you may be asking: Well, what is this survey actually? And why should I care about the results? And….what do the results mean?

A review of our favorite (and least favorite) puberty books: Books can be a great tool for parents and kids to read and process together. The books supply the words and details and trusted adults can be right there to answer questions and process feelings about what a kid is reading. (Also, hot tip: if you’re waiting until a kid is going through puberty to use a book as a resource, it can be a bit too late. Aim to start puberty conversations around age 7 or 8 so kids can anticipate and plan for puberty changes in their bodies.)

In Part 1 of the Talk More’s blog post about talking to kids about porn, we share some key things to consider before talking, and essential messages to use in your conversations.

Today we share some suggested language for talking with kids about porn. You’ll want to think about these conversations based on whether you’re PROACTIVELY addressing what a kid might see online or whether you’re REACTING after a child has already seen sexually explicit media online.

Whether on purpose or accidentally, 53% of kids see pornography online before the age of 13. And, kids are reporting that they’re learning helpful information from porn, such as how to have sex, about bodies and anatomy, and what their partners might find pleasurable. (You can read the full report from Common Sense Media).

We get it. Parents feel like this is a tricky subject - likely because adult feelings are mixed about pornography and its use. In this 2-part blog, Talk More will share their recommendations for making this conversation simple and straightforward.

Bluey, the animated kid’s show about an Australian Blue Heeler, is surprisingly sex positive.

Talk More’s

Kids are sexting, but this isn’t a blog to scare you. Data as recent as 2019 tells us that out of a national sample of kids age 12-17, 14% sent a sexually explicit message and 23% received one; both data points are an increase from 2016. A journal article from JAMA confirms these numbers.

Most of the information online about talking to kids about sexting is oriented towards telling youth why and how to avoid it. There are warnings about social ridicule, legal consequences, or damaged reputations, but very few resources that support sex positive conversations about sexting with kids or teens.

As I built Talk More, I spent a lot of time online looking for resources to explain the idea of love to little ones and I frequently come up empty. Why is this concept that is so fundamental to our relationships so hard to explain (especially when there’s so many resources for more specific sexuality-related content)? Maybe it’s because feelings of love are so innate to us that they’re hard to put into words for both ourselves, and kids.

So, how do you talk to kids about love? Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

In 2014, the following essay was published by The Center for Sexuality Education as part of a collection called “How I Got Into Sex…Ed.” You can order the book here:

Growing up, my family dynamic was one of open dialogue, which sometimes includes typically taboo subjects such as sex.

As a sexuality educator, I can talk at length about how genital touching is normal, that it’s developmentally appropriate for many young kids, and how it’s an opportunity to introduce medically accurate words about their reproductive organs. But, nothing quite compares you for the first time you see your own little one touching their genitals.

Wondering what to say to your little one when this happens for the first time? It’s essential that when you address genital touching with your kids, you provide shame-free messages. Below are a few suggestions for how to addressing genital touching in a supportive and positive way. Adjust for age and your own families values, as needed:

When I was teaching sexuality education, I had the opportunity to work with Kindergarteners. We spent several sessions talking about anger, friendship, boundaries with others, and eventually defining our body parts.

I remember being shocked at the things Kindergarteners thought about body parts when I introduced words like penis, vulva, vagina, and anus. Upon hearing these words they said, “Ewwwww, that’s gross,” “I wouldn’t ever say that,” “disgusting,” and “that’s a yucky spot.”