Multiple reports say updated sex education guidance is being prepared that includes teaching students that strangulation is illegal. The guidance is intended for classroom use and focuses on students’ safety as well as awareness of harmful attitudes and behaviours.
The Independent reports that the updates also aim to help teachers respond to what it describes as the growing influence of the “manosphere” and “incel” culture in schools. The guidance is presented as a resource for educators to tackle topics related to consent, coercion, and respect in relationships, while ensuring students understand legal boundaries and the seriousness of violence.
While the sources differ only in phrasing, they converge on two main components: clarification that strangulation is illegal, and guidance that supports teachers in addressing extremist or misogynistic online influences that may shape students’ perceptions of relationships. The reports do not specify the full curriculum content in detail, but they frame the changes as targeted updates to existing sex education materials for schools.
