On the surface, topic 4.3 seems good because it highlights some harms of pornography and sexting.

However, the learning outcomes for all ages do not categorically say that pornography and sexting are bad practices.

Instead, for 9-12-year-olds, they use words like “sexually explicit media often portrays… unrealistically.” This means that sometimes pornography is realistic and perhaps by extension “good”.

Another point says “sexually explicit media can be misleading” This means that sometimes pornography is not misleading.

Also, the learning outcomes introduce sexting but do not discourage it as a bad practice. Sexting is a risky activity that can get personal images leaked. It is also a harmful activity as it degrades a person into a sexual object.

For 12-15-year-old teenagers, the learning outcomes also do not say that pornography is categorically bad.

Instead, it says “Sexually explicit media can be… potentially harmful”. This means that some types of pornography are harmless.

For 15-18-year-old teenagers, once again we observe phrasing like “sexually explicit media can contribute to unrealistic expectations”, “can reinforce harmful gender stereotypes”, and “can impact their self-image”.

By not expressly acknowledging and teaching that all pornography is harmful, teenagers are misled and more likely to indulge in pornography, or at least those which brand themselves as “more ethical”.

What is not taught is that all pornography causes people to view others as sex objects, therefore destroying relationships or even ability to connect healthily with others one may have a romantic interest in. 

It also misses the fact that pornographic consumption could easily lead to addiction, and in some cases sexual dysfunction.