Sex education should start at 3, says expert

 A reproductive health expert cited the importance of having “the talk” with children about sex.

Asked during the launch of Trust.ph website on Friday on when parents need to begin talking to children about sex, Dr. Rica Cruz, a clinical sexologist, said parents should start at three or “the moment they start talking to you.”

“I empower parents to be able to talk to their children about sex,” Cruz, CEO of Unprude, Asia’s first sex therapy app, said.

“We’re talking about how Filipinos have funny names for the private parts, we can’t say vagina, we can’t say penis because we don’t get to teach children at a young age about their body parts,” she continued.

But about three years old, Cruz added, parents should be able to tell their children about the body parts unfiltered.

Cruz explained that parents should be able to teach their children about proper hygiene, reproductive health and consent at a young age.

“This is sex education and people didn’t know that. They think that sex education is talking to your child about the birds and the bees,” she said.

“Sex education is so much more and I think we need to start [talking] openly about this. Get that misconception out and when we do that, we get to empower the parents so we can start talking about sex at home and they have to do that throughout their children’s lives,” she added.

On Friday, DKT Philippines Inc. launched its newest website which offers reliable and accessible reproductive health resources for Filipinos.

The online platform aims to establish itself as a leading digital hub for vital and empowering sexual and reproductive health and rights information in the Philippines.

The site features an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot named “ai-Thea” to answer users’ concerns and frequently asked questions; resources and interactive quizzes to help users determine the best contraceptive method for their needs and make informed choices; pregnancy assessment tools; digital magazines; and a nationwide directory of stores and clinics offering accessible reproductive health services.