Latest news with #TeachUsConsent
The Advertiser
08-07-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
'Lies and secrets': help for porn and sex addiction through sexaholic group
Newcastle Sexaholics Anonymous has started a new weekly meeting to help people with problems such as porn addiction. The meetings are also for people addicted to dating apps, the OnlyFans subscription service or seeing sex workers, for example. A spokesperson for the Newcastle group said it was a "12-step fellowship that addresses sex addiction". "We're trying to let the community know our group exists," the spokesperson said. "When you say the words 'sex addiction', people look terrified. There's a huge stigma. "Most people with a sex addiction are high functioning, with good jobs and family lives. It's not what people would expect." The group meets weekly on Monday nights. A second weekly meeting has started on Sunday nights and on Zoom to meet demand. A member of the Newcastle group shared his story to raise awareness of the issue. "I started to use internet porn and dating sites as a way to cope with a break-up," he said. "It took over my life. At night after work, I'd say to myself I'd only watch one video, but I wouldn't stop until 3am or 4am. "Internet porn was like crack cocaine to me. It sets off endorphins. It's like gambling." He saw a drug and alcohol counsellor because "I knew I was screwed up and something wasn't right, spending all these hours on the computer". The counsellor told him, "You're just like any male who likes to have sex". This made him feel worse. "I knew in my heart I had a problem," he said. A friend told him about Sexaholics Anonymous Australia. "I started going to meetings and related to what was being said. From the second meeting, I gave up internet pornography and dating sites." He was also concerned about "the way I was looking at and talking to women". "I was flirting with women too much. I had to eventually give that up. "Ever since then, I haven't really looked back. I've been sexually sober for 11 years." Being sober in this way doesn't prevent sex with a spouse. However, it meant "I don't have to live a double life anymore". He had stopped "the lies and secrets". "I'm not spending endless hours on the computer or chasing women on dating sites. "My life is 1000 times better. In our literature, it says you're able to look the world in the eye and stand free. You don't have guilt and shame." He said Australia was "a million miles behind when it comes to talking about this sort of stuff". "There are meetings everywhere in Europe and the US." A NSW parliamentary inquiry is examining the "Impacts of harmful pornography on mental, emotional and physical health". Chanel Contos, founder of Teach Us Consent, said "incidentally or otherwise, young people are viewing pornography at the average age of 13 in Australia". "There is evidence to suggest that pornography is negatively affecting the way young people approach relationships," Ms Contos said. "Young people deserve access to comprehensive sex education that helps them develop healthy, consensual intimate relationships. "They also deserve safeguards that can reduce the accessibility of pornographic content online, including through the use of age verification technology." A NSW government submission to the inquiry said pornography was associated with "sexual violence and risky sexual practices". It was also linked to "significant mental health impacts including increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression". Newcastle Sexaholics Anonymous has started a new weekly meeting to help people with problems such as porn addiction. The meetings are also for people addicted to dating apps, the OnlyFans subscription service or seeing sex workers, for example. A spokesperson for the Newcastle group said it was a "12-step fellowship that addresses sex addiction". "We're trying to let the community know our group exists," the spokesperson said. "When you say the words 'sex addiction', people look terrified. There's a huge stigma. "Most people with a sex addiction are high functioning, with good jobs and family lives. It's not what people would expect." The group meets weekly on Monday nights. A second weekly meeting has started on Sunday nights and on Zoom to meet demand. A member of the Newcastle group shared his story to raise awareness of the issue. "I started to use internet porn and dating sites as a way to cope with a break-up," he said. "It took over my life. At night after work, I'd say to myself I'd only watch one video, but I wouldn't stop until 3am or 4am. "Internet porn was like crack cocaine to me. It sets off endorphins. It's like gambling." He saw a drug and alcohol counsellor because "I knew I was screwed up and something wasn't right, spending all these hours on the computer". The counsellor told him, "You're just like any male who likes to have sex". This made him feel worse. "I knew in my heart I had a problem," he said. A friend told him about Sexaholics Anonymous Australia. "I started going to meetings and related to what was being said. From the second meeting, I gave up internet pornography and dating sites." He was also concerned about "the way I was looking at and talking to women". "I was flirting with women too much. I had to eventually give that up. "Ever since then, I haven't really looked back. I've been sexually sober for 11 years." Being sober in this way doesn't prevent sex with a spouse. However, it meant "I don't have to live a double life anymore". He had stopped "the lies and secrets". "I'm not spending endless hours on the computer or chasing women on dating sites. "My life is 1000 times better. In our literature, it says you're able to look the world in the eye and stand free. You don't have guilt and shame." He said Australia was "a million miles behind when it comes to talking about this sort of stuff". "There are meetings everywhere in Europe and the US." A NSW parliamentary inquiry is examining the "Impacts of harmful pornography on mental, emotional and physical health". Chanel Contos, founder of Teach Us Consent, said "incidentally or otherwise, young people are viewing pornography at the average age of 13 in Australia". "There is evidence to suggest that pornography is negatively affecting the way young people approach relationships," Ms Contos said. "Young people deserve access to comprehensive sex education that helps them develop healthy, consensual intimate relationships. "They also deserve safeguards that can reduce the accessibility of pornographic content online, including through the use of age verification technology." A NSW government submission to the inquiry said pornography was associated with "sexual violence and risky sexual practices". It was also linked to "significant mental health impacts including increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression". Newcastle Sexaholics Anonymous has started a new weekly meeting to help people with problems such as porn addiction. The meetings are also for people addicted to dating apps, the OnlyFans subscription service or seeing sex workers, for example. A spokesperson for the Newcastle group said it was a "12-step fellowship that addresses sex addiction". "We're trying to let the community know our group exists," the spokesperson said. "When you say the words 'sex addiction', people look terrified. There's a huge stigma. "Most people with a sex addiction are high functioning, with good jobs and family lives. It's not what people would expect." The group meets weekly on Monday nights. A second weekly meeting has started on Sunday nights and on Zoom to meet demand. A member of the Newcastle group shared his story to raise awareness of the issue. "I started to use internet porn and dating sites as a way to cope with a break-up," he said. "It took over my life. At night after work, I'd say to myself I'd only watch one video, but I wouldn't stop until 3am or 4am. "Internet porn was like crack cocaine to me. It sets off endorphins. It's like gambling." He saw a drug and alcohol counsellor because "I knew I was screwed up and something wasn't right, spending all these hours on the computer". The counsellor told him, "You're just like any male who likes to have sex". This made him feel worse. "I knew in my heart I had a problem," he said. A friend told him about Sexaholics Anonymous Australia. "I started going to meetings and related to what was being said. From the second meeting, I gave up internet pornography and dating sites." He was also concerned about "the way I was looking at and talking to women". "I was flirting with women too much. I had to eventually give that up. "Ever since then, I haven't really looked back. I've been sexually sober for 11 years." Being sober in this way doesn't prevent sex with a spouse. However, it meant "I don't have to live a double life anymore". He had stopped "the lies and secrets". "I'm not spending endless hours on the computer or chasing women on dating sites. "My life is 1000 times better. In our literature, it says you're able to look the world in the eye and stand free. You don't have guilt and shame." He said Australia was "a million miles behind when it comes to talking about this sort of stuff". "There are meetings everywhere in Europe and the US." A NSW parliamentary inquiry is examining the "Impacts of harmful pornography on mental, emotional and physical health". Chanel Contos, founder of Teach Us Consent, said "incidentally or otherwise, young people are viewing pornography at the average age of 13 in Australia". "There is evidence to suggest that pornography is negatively affecting the way young people approach relationships," Ms Contos said. "Young people deserve access to comprehensive sex education that helps them develop healthy, consensual intimate relationships. "They also deserve safeguards that can reduce the accessibility of pornographic content online, including through the use of age verification technology." A NSW government submission to the inquiry said pornography was associated with "sexual violence and risky sexual practices". It was also linked to "significant mental health impacts including increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression". Newcastle Sexaholics Anonymous has started a new weekly meeting to help people with problems such as porn addiction. The meetings are also for people addicted to dating apps, the OnlyFans subscription service or seeing sex workers, for example. A spokesperson for the Newcastle group said it was a "12-step fellowship that addresses sex addiction". "We're trying to let the community know our group exists," the spokesperson said. "When you say the words 'sex addiction', people look terrified. There's a huge stigma. "Most people with a sex addiction are high functioning, with good jobs and family lives. It's not what people would expect." The group meets weekly on Monday nights. A second weekly meeting has started on Sunday nights and on Zoom to meet demand. A member of the Newcastle group shared his story to raise awareness of the issue. "I started to use internet porn and dating sites as a way to cope with a break-up," he said. "It took over my life. At night after work, I'd say to myself I'd only watch one video, but I wouldn't stop until 3am or 4am. "Internet porn was like crack cocaine to me. It sets off endorphins. It's like gambling." He saw a drug and alcohol counsellor because "I knew I was screwed up and something wasn't right, spending all these hours on the computer". The counsellor told him, "You're just like any male who likes to have sex". This made him feel worse. "I knew in my heart I had a problem," he said. A friend told him about Sexaholics Anonymous Australia. "I started going to meetings and related to what was being said. From the second meeting, I gave up internet pornography and dating sites." He was also concerned about "the way I was looking at and talking to women". "I was flirting with women too much. I had to eventually give that up. "Ever since then, I haven't really looked back. I've been sexually sober for 11 years." Being sober in this way doesn't prevent sex with a spouse. However, it meant "I don't have to live a double life anymore". He had stopped "the lies and secrets". "I'm not spending endless hours on the computer or chasing women on dating sites. "My life is 1000 times better. In our literature, it says you're able to look the world in the eye and stand free. You don't have guilt and shame." He said Australia was "a million miles behind when it comes to talking about this sort of stuff". "There are meetings everywhere in Europe and the US." A NSW parliamentary inquiry is examining the "Impacts of harmful pornography on mental, emotional and physical health". Chanel Contos, founder of Teach Us Consent, said "incidentally or otherwise, young people are viewing pornography at the average age of 13 in Australia". "There is evidence to suggest that pornography is negatively affecting the way young people approach relationships," Ms Contos said. "Young people deserve access to comprehensive sex education that helps them develop healthy, consensual intimate relationships. "They also deserve safeguards that can reduce the accessibility of pornographic content online, including through the use of age verification technology." A NSW government submission to the inquiry said pornography was associated with "sexual violence and risky sexual practices". It was also linked to "significant mental health impacts including increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression".
The Advertiser
24-06-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
Consent education crucial to sexual violence prevention
Consent education in schools must continue to adapt to stay relevant to young people to help reduce gender-based violence in Australia, experts say. School curriculums were changed in 2023 following a mandate to provide consent education after youth advocate Chanel Contos pushed for the change. Ms Contos, 26, founded Teach Us Consent four years ago after an Instagram post went viral and alerted her to the dire need for consent education in Australian schools. While the mandate was a huge milestone, Consent Labs co-founder Angelique Wan said much of the burden had landed on teachers to roll out the new curriculum when they may not have received training to deliver it in line with best practice. "Just because (consent education) is in the curriculum does not mean the work is done," she told AAP. "We need to ensure it is delivered in a way that is relevant to young people and in order to do that you need to lean on experts and upskill teachers and parents to have those conversations." Education on consent and respectful relationships has been widely linked to preventing sexual violence. It also helps to build empathy in young people, improve sexual health outcomes and result in people being more likely to use condoms and less likely to have unwanted pregnancies or contract a sexually transmitted disease. But a growing trend among young people to return to gender norms with many turning to the "manosphere" and following "tradwives" on social media demonstrates an ongoing need for consent education to stay relevant. Specifically, young boys needed to have a safe space to explore masculinity, Ms Wan said. "There is a lot of confusion among young boys about what it means to be a man, away from the traditional stereotypes," she said. "We want to use education to counter deeply ingrained beliefs and attitudes and we also know that rigid gender stereotyping can lead to violence." As for whether consent education was different for male and female students, Ms Wan said the message was that all genders needed access and understanding of consent and respect. "We need to role model that everyone, regardless of their gender, needs to be having these conversations," she said. "It's also not a one-size-fits-all because there are nuances like cultural or LGBTQI diversity within schools that need to be taken into account when designing the curriculum." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Consent education in schools must continue to adapt to stay relevant to young people to help reduce gender-based violence in Australia, experts say. School curriculums were changed in 2023 following a mandate to provide consent education after youth advocate Chanel Contos pushed for the change. Ms Contos, 26, founded Teach Us Consent four years ago after an Instagram post went viral and alerted her to the dire need for consent education in Australian schools. While the mandate was a huge milestone, Consent Labs co-founder Angelique Wan said much of the burden had landed on teachers to roll out the new curriculum when they may not have received training to deliver it in line with best practice. "Just because (consent education) is in the curriculum does not mean the work is done," she told AAP. "We need to ensure it is delivered in a way that is relevant to young people and in order to do that you need to lean on experts and upskill teachers and parents to have those conversations." Education on consent and respectful relationships has been widely linked to preventing sexual violence. It also helps to build empathy in young people, improve sexual health outcomes and result in people being more likely to use condoms and less likely to have unwanted pregnancies or contract a sexually transmitted disease. But a growing trend among young people to return to gender norms with many turning to the "manosphere" and following "tradwives" on social media demonstrates an ongoing need for consent education to stay relevant. Specifically, young boys needed to have a safe space to explore masculinity, Ms Wan said. "There is a lot of confusion among young boys about what it means to be a man, away from the traditional stereotypes," she said. "We want to use education to counter deeply ingrained beliefs and attitudes and we also know that rigid gender stereotyping can lead to violence." As for whether consent education was different for male and female students, Ms Wan said the message was that all genders needed access and understanding of consent and respect. "We need to role model that everyone, regardless of their gender, needs to be having these conversations," she said. "It's also not a one-size-fits-all because there are nuances like cultural or LGBTQI diversity within schools that need to be taken into account when designing the curriculum." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Consent education in schools must continue to adapt to stay relevant to young people to help reduce gender-based violence in Australia, experts say. School curriculums were changed in 2023 following a mandate to provide consent education after youth advocate Chanel Contos pushed for the change. Ms Contos, 26, founded Teach Us Consent four years ago after an Instagram post went viral and alerted her to the dire need for consent education in Australian schools. While the mandate was a huge milestone, Consent Labs co-founder Angelique Wan said much of the burden had landed on teachers to roll out the new curriculum when they may not have received training to deliver it in line with best practice. "Just because (consent education) is in the curriculum does not mean the work is done," she told AAP. "We need to ensure it is delivered in a way that is relevant to young people and in order to do that you need to lean on experts and upskill teachers and parents to have those conversations." Education on consent and respectful relationships has been widely linked to preventing sexual violence. It also helps to build empathy in young people, improve sexual health outcomes and result in people being more likely to use condoms and less likely to have unwanted pregnancies or contract a sexually transmitted disease. But a growing trend among young people to return to gender norms with many turning to the "manosphere" and following "tradwives" on social media demonstrates an ongoing need for consent education to stay relevant. Specifically, young boys needed to have a safe space to explore masculinity, Ms Wan said. "There is a lot of confusion among young boys about what it means to be a man, away from the traditional stereotypes," she said. "We want to use education to counter deeply ingrained beliefs and attitudes and we also know that rigid gender stereotyping can lead to violence." As for whether consent education was different for male and female students, Ms Wan said the message was that all genders needed access and understanding of consent and respect. "We need to role model that everyone, regardless of their gender, needs to be having these conversations," she said. "It's also not a one-size-fits-all because there are nuances like cultural or LGBTQI diversity within schools that need to be taken into account when designing the curriculum." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Consent education in schools must continue to adapt to stay relevant to young people to help reduce gender-based violence in Australia, experts say. School curriculums were changed in 2023 following a mandate to provide consent education after youth advocate Chanel Contos pushed for the change. Ms Contos, 26, founded Teach Us Consent four years ago after an Instagram post went viral and alerted her to the dire need for consent education in Australian schools. While the mandate was a huge milestone, Consent Labs co-founder Angelique Wan said much of the burden had landed on teachers to roll out the new curriculum when they may not have received training to deliver it in line with best practice. "Just because (consent education) is in the curriculum does not mean the work is done," she told AAP. "We need to ensure it is delivered in a way that is relevant to young people and in order to do that you need to lean on experts and upskill teachers and parents to have those conversations." Education on consent and respectful relationships has been widely linked to preventing sexual violence. It also helps to build empathy in young people, improve sexual health outcomes and result in people being more likely to use condoms and less likely to have unwanted pregnancies or contract a sexually transmitted disease. But a growing trend among young people to return to gender norms with many turning to the "manosphere" and following "tradwives" on social media demonstrates an ongoing need for consent education to stay relevant. Specifically, young boys needed to have a safe space to explore masculinity, Ms Wan said. "There is a lot of confusion among young boys about what it means to be a man, away from the traditional stereotypes," she said. "We want to use education to counter deeply ingrained beliefs and attitudes and we also know that rigid gender stereotyping can lead to violence." As for whether consent education was different for male and female students, Ms Wan said the message was that all genders needed access and understanding of consent and respect. "We need to role model that everyone, regardless of their gender, needs to be having these conversations," she said. "It's also not a one-size-fits-all because there are nuances like cultural or LGBTQI diversity within schools that need to be taken into account when designing the curriculum." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Perth Now
24-06-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Consent education crucial to sexual violence prevention
Consent education in schools must continue to adapt to stay relevant to young people to help reduce gender-based violence in Australia, experts say. School curriculums were changed in 2023 following a mandate to provide consent education after youth advocate Chanel Contos pushed for the change. Ms Contos, 26, founded Teach Us Consent four years ago after an Instagram post went viral and alerted her to the dire need for consent education in Australian schools. While the mandate was a huge milestone, Consent Labs co-founder Angelique Wan said much of the burden had landed on teachers to roll out the new curriculum when they may not have received training to deliver it in line with best practice. "Just because (consent education) is in the curriculum does not mean the work is done," she told AAP. "We need to ensure it is delivered in a way that is relevant to young people and in order to do that you need to lean on experts and upskill teachers and parents to have those conversations." Education on consent and respectful relationships has been widely linked to preventing sexual violence. It also helps to build empathy in young people, improve sexual health outcomes and result in people being more likely to use condoms and less likely to have unwanted pregnancies or contract a sexually transmitted disease. But a growing trend among young people to return to gender norms with many turning to the "manosphere" and following "tradwives" on social media demonstrates an ongoing need for consent education to stay relevant. Specifically, young boys needed to have a safe space to explore masculinity, Ms Wan said. "There is a lot of confusion among young boys about what it means to be a man, away from the traditional stereotypes," she said. "We want to use education to counter deeply ingrained beliefs and attitudes and we also know that rigid gender stereotyping can lead to violence." As for whether consent education was different for male and female students, Ms Wan said the message was that all genders needed access and understanding of consent and respect. "We need to role model that everyone, regardless of their gender, needs to be having these conversations," she said. "It's also not a one-size-fits-all because there are nuances like cultural or LGBTQI diversity within schools that need to be taken into account when designing the curriculum." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
West Australian
26-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Consent education hits screens in fresh initiative
A first of its kind consent education initiative aims to meet young Australians where they're at - on social media. Teach Us Consent, the organisation founded by youth advocate Chanel Contos, has launched the Promoting Consent Initiative (PCI), which aims to teach young people about respectful relationships and prevent sexual harm. Ms Contos, 26, founded the organisation four years ago after an Instagram post went viral and alerted her to the dire need for mandated consent education in Australian schools. "Australia is really leading the way in terms of focusing on preventing sexual violence," she told AAP. "There is an important message to be shared overseas about what is happening in Australia and what lessons can be learned for other countries." The PCI has been funded by the Department of Social Services as part of the ten-year National Plan to End Gender Based Violence launched in 2022. The initiative is the first of its kind in Australia to use social media to reach young people through users they know and trust. More than 25 influential young Australians from footballers to beauty vloggers have signed up to demonstrate the importance of having vulnerable and open conversations about consent. "We wanted to make sure that young people were hearing this messaging online from people they already knew and trusted," Ms Contos said. "It was really important that the people delivering these messages were peers and also role models." The resources are available in a variety of formats including podcasts, TikToks, Instagram posts, essays and YouTube videos. They have been translated into six languages other than English and specific resources for First Nations communities are also in development. Parents and educators are being encouraged to use these resources to start conversations around respectful relationships with young people. Child sexual abuse by adolescents aged under 18 has increased in recent years, with nearly one in five Australians experiencing sexual abuse by an adolescent before they turn 18. The increased accessibility to pornography and the fact it was being used as sex education was contributing to these rates, Ms Contos said. "In recent years what has changed the most is the influence of the manosphere and algorithms," she said. "These challenges are rising quicker than we're making progress so we're going to need to be creative and innovative in terms of how we provide holistic educational resources to young people on these issues." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Perth Now
26-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Consent education hits screens in fresh initiative
A first of its kind consent education initiative aims to meet young Australians where they're at - on social media. Teach Us Consent, the organisation founded by youth advocate Chanel Contos, has launched the Promoting Consent Initiative (PCI), which aims to teach young people about respectful relationships and prevent sexual harm. Ms Contos, 26, founded the organisation four years ago after an Instagram post went viral and alerted her to the dire need for mandated consent education in Australian schools. "Australia is really leading the way in terms of focusing on preventing sexual violence," she told AAP. "There is an important message to be shared overseas about what is happening in Australia and what lessons can be learned for other countries." The PCI has been funded by the Department of Social Services as part of the ten-year National Plan to End Gender Based Violence launched in 2022. The initiative is the first of its kind in Australia to use social media to reach young people through users they know and trust. More than 25 influential young Australians from footballers to beauty vloggers have signed up to demonstrate the importance of having vulnerable and open conversations about consent. "We wanted to make sure that young people were hearing this messaging online from people they already knew and trusted," Ms Contos said. "It was really important that the people delivering these messages were peers and also role models." The resources are available in a variety of formats including podcasts, TikToks, Instagram posts, essays and YouTube videos. They have been translated into six languages other than English and specific resources for First Nations communities are also in development. Parents and educators are being encouraged to use these resources to start conversations around respectful relationships with young people. Child sexual abuse by adolescents aged under 18 has increased in recent years, with nearly one in five Australians experiencing sexual abuse by an adolescent before they turn 18. The increased accessibility to pornography and the fact it was being used as sex education was contributing to these rates, Ms Contos said. "In recent years what has changed the most is the influence of the manosphere and algorithms," she said. "These challenges are rising quicker than we're making progress so we're going to need to be creative and innovative in terms of how we provide holistic educational resources to young people on these issues." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
