The dangers of teens looking to porn as their primary form of sex education have only been exacerbated by our digital world and the easy access adolescents have to such content. The repercussions of Gen Z replacing actual sex education with ideas and behaviors exhibited in porn have alarm bells going off for many, including the French condom brand Eden Gen.
To address these mounting concerns, Eden Gen teamed up with French creative agency Buzzman to launch a campaign during September naturally called #Sextember, which they’ve billed as “A month without porn to discover sex differently.” The idea behind the 30-day movement is to encourage Gen Z to take a month-long hiatus from porn and instead look to healthier options for sex ed provided on the #Sextember website and the Eden Gen social accounts.
Such resources include articles, a blog, podcast and erotica recommendations, sexologist referrals, and a downloadable Chrome “Sextension” that blocks participants from accessing porn sites on their browsers. These offerings are all available on the bright and poppy #Sextember site doused in an eye-catching orange and pink color scheme and feature bars of scrolling text that say things like “Sex doesn’t last 3 hours,” “Sex is not performance,” and “Sex is not shouting.”
The campaign has multiple touchpoints across platforms, specifically YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, where Gen Z is most active and can get reached the most effectively. It also includes four claymation short films, provocative meme-like digital illustrations, and cheeky posters to keep the campaign light-hearted and fun, as opposed to preachy.
Challenging teens to give up porn is an audacious endeavor, but it’s worth a shot in the pursuit of more comprehensive sex education.
