The cartoon sitcom and coming-of-age TV series Big Mouth has come to a close with the release of its final season on Netflix. 

Big Mouth is an animated Netflix Original that premiered in 2017, which follows a group of sixth-grade students through to their early years in high school.

The show has an emphasis on puberty, but also examined an array of other sex-ed topics, including sexuality, mental health, relationships and consent.

Puberty, in the show, was portrayed using creatures called ‘Hormone monsters’ and an array of other characters which personify emotions such as the Depression Kitty, Anxiety Mosquito, Shame Wizard and Love Bug.

Shows from similar genres have grown over time in popularity and have become a staple in Netflix’s coming-of-age series.

Some of these shows include Sex Education, which first premiered in 2019, concluding in 2023 and the Big Mouth spin-off Human Resources.

These programs have been credited as important for prompting conversations about topics that may be seen as difficult to tackle or taboo.

Caitlin van Hoffen, a doctoral student at Monash University, said sex education through entertainment media might provide an alternative perspective on an issue the audience may not have otherwise encountered.

“I would consider it a perspective on a topic rather than an authority, and that is totally fine," van Hoffen said. 

"Some sex related topics don't require an expert opinion.”

“It would be awesome if young people were given guidance on how to watch these shows critically and identify the good and the bad information that can be passed on to them from these shows.”

How important is the media for sexual education?

LaTrobe University found in their National survey of secondary students and sexual health, that only 14.4 per cent of secondary students felt comfortable talking about safe sex or contraception with an educator.

It also found that only one in three secondary students (31.1 per cent) had discussed sexual matters with a GP.

When asked about the sources through which students most commonly received information about sex, peer educators trained in sexual health ranked 8th, behind the internet, social media, friends and school.

Television (24.2 per cent) and books (23.1 per cent) were among the most common sources of sex-related information that young people listed.

“Sex education is a really broad topic," van Hoffen said. 

"People assume we all just innately know how to do things like having healthy relationships and sex lives.”

“Without a formal curriculum, it is hard to ensure that everyone has access to the information they need to have a happy and healthy sex life.”

“I think it’s important to listen to what the young adults are saying, and they are - from what I have heard and read - saying that it is insufficient.”

In a more recent survey conducted by the Equality Rights Alliance's Young Women’s Advisory Group, sex education was labelled ‘dismally out of touch’, with gaps identified in what is taught to young women and non-binary people in Australia.

“Men's sexuality tends to be prioritised over women's,” van Hoffen said. 

“Some media does help to portray sexuality and sexual experience from a woman's perspective - especially in content created by women, but obviously there are still many [sources] made by and for men that do the opposite.”

How does the media play a role? 

UK based sexual education service Brook, described sex education for young people in television and media as being great for helping young people "to contextualise some topics that might seem more abstract" and for young people to "think critically about relationships." 

“Entertainment media is an easier environment to address topics like sexual pleasure than in a sex ed classroom or a conversation with your GP, but I wouldn't trust it as a good source of information for more health-related topics,” van Hoffen said.

“Sadly, for some - particularly LGBTQ+ people - it is the easiest way to access relevant information about sex and relationships”.

“It is important to remember that the primary purpose of entertainment media is to entertain, and that really needs to be kept in mind when considering a Netflix show, for example, as a source of sex education.”

“It can approach more social topics like getting over an unsuccessful relationship, ways to meet new people, what an unhealthy relationship looks like etc. But, these should be taken with a grain of salt.”

“In the post-truth era we are currently in, where people struggle to trust people of authority, people tend to put a lot of value in someone's perspective if they agree with it themselves or if they can relate to the person in some way.”

For more serious topics that require an expert opinion, van Hoffen recommended seeking out that information from an appropriate source.

—

For more comprehensive sexual education, please contact your local GP or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.