When should schools teach sex ed?

England is now requiring sex education for students starting in kindergarten to combat the rising teen pregnancy rates, according to USA Today. Though the lessons will be tiered depending on age, the decision is still sparking controversy in England and around the world. According to the article:

At the very earliest stage, sex ed will mainly be about self-awareness, he said.

"We are not talking about five-year-old kids being taught sex," he said. "What we're talking about for key stage 1 (ages 5-7) is children knowing about themselves, their differences, their friendships and how to manage their feelings."

But not everyone feels the state should decide when and how to broach the topic.

"I am not the parent who calls her son's penis a wee-wee. But I should decide if the word penis enters my child's vocabulary at 5 or not," said Elizabeth Talbot, of London, who has two sons, aged 4 and 6 months old.

Thinking back on the sex ed in my 4th or 5th grade classroom, it was mostly awkwardly reading from a "family life" book, trying not to get caught giggling at certain words. I'm wondering if starting earlier will lead to more giggling or to students getting used to having these conversations and actually learning something from it. Either way, is it really the government's right to make that call? What do you think?

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