Dialogue over discipline: Parents as sexually explicit media literacy educators

Parents are important sexuality educators for their children; however, report challenges navigating contemporary sexually explicit media (SEM). Age appropriateness of discussions about SEM is a common concern. Twenty parents/carers of secondary school-aged children were interviewed to explore their experiences discussing SEM with their children, with data analysed within a social constructionist framework. SEM denotes all media containing representations of sex, including pornography. Parents perceived newer SEM where they lacked familiarity as threatening, but were comfortable discussing SEM with their children to establish open dialogue, rather than imposing consequences. Genuine occurrences of open-dialogue discussions were rare. Parents supported some SEM for adolescent sexual exploration, provided critical thinking and values were applied. Findings suggest willingness to view their adolescent children as emerging adults, ready for information about sexuality and relationships. Parents could be supported with education helping them conduct open, sex-positive discussions centring their children's values and experiences with SEM.