3 texting services that help teens when sex ed can't

The internet has changed how kids learn about sex, but sex ed in the classroom still sucks. In Sex Ed 2.0, Mashable explores the state of sex ed and imagines a future where digital innovations are used to teach consent, sex positivity, respect, and responsibility.

Unlike many sex education curriculums, sexual health text services offer personalized resources catered to young people's behaviors, preferences, and lifestyles. If teens have questions about their bodies, sex, or relationships, their answers may just be a text away.

The utility of these tools is clear: Forty-five percent(opens in a new tab) of teens say they are almost constantly online, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

What's more, people feel most comfortable discussing sensitive topics on the apps and channels that they know, says Mike Gozzo, the chief technology officer at Smooch, a Montreal-based messaging platform.

"It's really, really important that if you want to get, let's say, a teen to reach out to you with something that's on their mind, that you're present where they are," says Gozzo.

Knowing this, some organizations are finding ways to be digital-first, whether that means training volunteers to send approachable, informative texts or designing a sexual education chatbot.

But while digital resources are useful, it's important to note that they can't replace comprehensive sex ed curriculums.

"I think what's important ... is that we still remember what can be done in-person in sex education that still can't be replicated in the digital environment," says Leslie Kantor, the former vice president(opens in a new tab) of education for Planned Parenthood and the chair of the department of urban-global public health at Rutgers School of Public Health.

As Kantor explains, most digital tools are designed for people seeking a solution to an immediate problem and also don't offer the opportunity to practice things like using a condom. On the other hand, comprehensive sex education curriculums in schools help young people think about topics and situations before they become pressing, such as unhealthy behaviors and communication within a relationship. But at the same time, many teens aren't getting comprehensive sex education at school. Only 24 states and D.C. require sex education(opens in a new tab), and what is taught in the classroom can differ from school to school.

Digital tools can help fill in the gaps and provide a space for teens to ask questions without feeling embarrassed. Here are three texting services that teens can turn to if they don't want to ask a sex ed question in a classroom, don't know who to trust, or need advice on next steps to take after an unplanned pregnancy.

1. Planned Parenthood's Chat/Text Program(opens in a new tab)

Through Planned Parenthood's chat/text program, you can ask trained sex educators about abortion, birth control, emergency contraception, pregnancy, and STDs. All you have to do is text “PPNOW”(opens in a new tab) to 774636 during certain hours(opens in a new tab).

The Planned Parenthood educators on PPNOW are trained to help teens make decisions, whether that's going to a health center, taking a pregnancy test, or getting emergency contraception, says Julia Bennett, the director of learning strategy for education at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. They're also well-versed on various sexual health topics, she explains.

When I tested the service, I was asked to share my gender, age, zip code, and race/ethnicity before an educator asked how they can help. (Planned Parenthood told Mashable that they don't share or sell users' data.) I received quick, thorough responses.

For example, seven minutes after I asked if it's necessary to eat the sugar pills in a birth control pack, it responded, "Just to clarify, what is the name of your pills?" After I clarified, the service explained it's ok to miss the sugar pills as long as I start the next pack on time.

"There's no hormones in them. They are just reminders to take your pills each day and of when to start your next pack," it wrote. Good to know.

Planned Parenthood is committed to helping teens be safe and healthy, as well as guiding them through the decision-making process, says Bennett. That's where the phone comes in.

"We know that young people are spending a lot of time on their phones and online, and so, it's really important that we meet young people where they are instead of asking them to come to us" says Bennet.

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2. Jane's Due Process(opens in a new tab)

Jane's Due Process(opens in a new tab) is a nonprofit that provides free attorneys to pregnant minors in Texas who need a judicial bypass to have an abortion without receiving permission from their parents. The nonprofit also helps teens around the country by providing a contact who can help them navigate the process, according to Eleanor Grano, the organization's community outreach and youth engagement coordinator.

The organization partnered with Smooch to extend their existing phone helpline to a texting hotline. Using this service, teens (users need to be at least 13 years old to use the service, says Grano) can receive information about the judicial bypass process as well as general sexual health topics by texting 866-999-5263. For more complex questions about sexual health, Grano says the service will reply with links to additional resources. While teens can text the hotline to ask about the process, Grano says they will eventually need to pivot the discussion to a phone call.

Smooch's goal was to make sure people get unbiased support, regardless of the choices they make about a pregnancy or other health situations, says Gozzo, Smooch's CTO.

For Gozzo, texting was the best medium to achieve that goal.

"Aside from the fact that teens and pretty much everybody now is using [texting] as their primary form of communication, it's also an easier place for you to write what you want to say to make the words come out in a way that feels less threatening, less nerve-wracking than it would be in other forms like giving a stranger a phone call," Gozzo says.

3. Planned Parenthood's Roo

To use Planned Parenthood's new chatbot Roo, go to roo.plannedparenthood.org(opens in a new tab) or text Roo to 22422 on your phone. A chatbot is a program that answers questions in a conversational way based on a database of knowledge -- there's no human on the other end. In a personal and friendly manner, the smiling purple chatbot answers questions about birth control, bodies, pregnancy, relationships, sex, and more.

At the start of the experience, Roo will prompt you to choose your gender from an extensive list including Female, Male, Trans Man, Trans Woman, and Non-Binary. You can also name your own or skip the question altogether.

You'll then see a list of popular topics such as masturbation, sexual orientation and gender, health services and cost, and symptoms. Click any one of them to see questions like, "Can you get pregnant from dry humping?" or "Does it hurt to have sex for the first time?"

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I asked Roo if it's possible to get pregnant on my period, and it said that although it's possible, it's less common. "You're most likely to get pregnant just before or during ovulation (when an egg is released), which is *usually* about 2 weeks before your period. But unprotected vaginal sex at *any time* can cause pregnancy."

After its initial response, Roo directed me to additional, related resources, such as Planned Parenthood's Tumblr post about how to use menstrual products.

For even more information, click directly on the Roo avatar to find a health center, text with a health educator, or help Planned Parenthood and Roo improve their services.

"Planned Parenthood really sees the value in reaching young people online, where they are, so we can reach young people when they need us and on the platforms in which they are already existing," says Bennett.