Produced by Our Watch and The University of Melbourne’s Youth Research Collective, Young people, online worlds and respectful relationships: What the research tells us highlights the urgent need for earlier, more comprehensive education that addresses the issues young people are facing today.

Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly says the findings show young people are experiencing both the positives of relationships and the risks of harm at a critical stage of development.

“Many young people are having positive and respectful relationships. But too many are also experiencing unwanted sex, harmful stereotypes and violence, often at a young age,” Kinnersly says.

“Gender-based violence doesn’t start in adulthood. It is shaped by the attitudes, norms and behaviours that young people are exposed to early in life. Effective, well-resourced Respectful Relationships Education is a vital step to helping young people deal with that.”

The report paints a nuanced picture of young people’s lives:

Young people, it found, begin forming romantic relationships as early as 10–13 years old, with sexual activity commonly beginning around age 15, while nearly 1 in 3 young people who have had sex report experiencing unwanted sex, with some first experiencing it before age 14. 

By the time young people are teenagers, many of the attitudes that underpin violence are already taking shape, Patty Kinnersly explains. “That’s why we need to start early – and ensure education reflects the reality of young people’s lives.”

Young women, and transgender and non-binary young people, the report says, are significantly more likely to experience unwanted sex and violence and digital platforms are enabling new forms of abuse, including image-based abuse, coercive sexting and deepfake technologies.

The growing influence of the online “manosphere” is shaping harmful attitudes about masculinity, particularly among some boys and young men, and many young people are being exposed to pornography early (average age 13.6), which can shape expectations around sex, consent and gender roles. 

The research shows that attitudes towards gender equality and consent are formed early and reinforced through adolescence, making schools a critical setting for prevention.

Kinnersly says it reinforces the need for a robust, whole-of-school approach to Respectful Relationships Education.

“By the time young people are teenagers, many of the attitudes that underpin violence are already taking shape,” she explains.

“That’s why we need to start early – and ensure education reflects the reality of young people’s lives, including the influence of online spaces.”

The report calls for:

  • Whole-of-school approaches to Respectful Relationships Education that reinforce equality and respect;
  • Age-appropriate teaching and learning about topics such as gender stereotypes and healthy relationships, beginning in early years and continuing across all stages of a young person’s education;
  • Stronger focus on consent as an ongoing, communicative practice;
  • Integration of digital literacy, online safety and ethical behaviour; and
  • Open, inclusive, age-appropriate conversations about sex, relationships, power and pleasure.

Importantly, it highlights that young people themselves are calling for more relevant and honest education.

“Young people are telling us they want real conversations about relationships, consent and sex – not just biology or risk,” Kinnersly says.

“They want to understand boundaries, respect, pleasure and power, and they want support to navigate what they’re seeing online.”

The report finds that whole-of-school Respectful Relationships Education can reduce violence, improve wellbeing, and help young people build healthy relationships.

Kinnersly emphasises that primary prevention is about stopping violence before it starts.

“This report shows us exactly where we need to act – and the opportunity we have to support young people to build a future based on respect, equality and safety.”

The University of Melbourne’s Emeritus Professor Helen Cahill, who is a member of the Youth Research Collective, says the report gives a useful insight into the big questions facing young people using the internet.

“More than ever, we need evidence about what young people are experiencing online,” Cahill says.

“This timely report responds to these questions.

“It provides an accessible overview which shows both cause for concern, and implications for action.

“It provides a call to action, and a solid grounding to inform a shift from ‘what’s wrong?’ to ‘what works?’.”