Fear, shame, exaggeration and enlarged photos of oozing lesions have been a time-honored tradition in sex education. And you don’t have to look far to see the intent behind the hype. Many people believe telling horror stories about sex will persuade young people to be abstinent, but guess what: It’s not working.
A 2005 meta-analysis of fear-based HIV prevention campaigns found that the strategy of tapping in to fear did not work. In some situations, fear-based campaigns produce the opposite effect of what was intended.
Denial
If people believe a harmful consequence is unlikely or impossible, they may discount or deny the information and the relevance of the message.
Othering
The target audience thinks the message is not directed at them but at some “other” group.
Ridiculing
A person thinks the message is absurd and, consequently, is not mindful of it.
Minimizing
The negative outcome is exaggerated, therefore, people don’t respond to the message. For example, younger people are less likely to have a sense of their own mortality and this may lead them to minimize the message. Avoidance
People don’t necessarily want their views challenged and may avoid the message by flipping the page, changing the channel or simply tuning out.
Fear-based programs do not educate people about personal risk. Instead they tend to promote stereotyping, judgment and prejudice, which in turn can lead to stigma and discrimination. This creates a climate that makes it more difficult for people to talk about contraception and condoms with potential sex partners.
Finally, some programs are notorious for misrepresenting the failure rate of condoms and contraception. In some cases, they actually tell lies such as, “Condoms have holes in them that let virus particles pass through.” These messages may dissuade young people from using these products, because they reason that they probably won’t work anyway.
In Washington, things changed for the better in 2007 when the state legislature passed the “Healthy Youth Act.” This law states that school districts that offer sexual education (though there is no requirement to do so) must provide medically accurate and age appropriate curricula, including information about abstinence, contraception and condoms.